The Mistwalker of Cades Cove. The Hauntings of the Smoky Mountains, #16

In the quiet heart of Cades Cove, something ancient has been waiting. When surveyor Emma Cole hikes deep into the Smoky Mountains to evaluate an abandoned cabin, she expects silence, dust, and a job she can finish before dark. What she finds is a presence; watching from the edge of the trees, slipping just beyond sight, and whispering her name through the mist. And she's not alone. Daniel Hale, a hiker with Cherokee roots and a past he doesn't talk about, stumbles into Emma's nightmare just in time to witness the impossible.
As the shadows around the cabin thicken, so does the bond between them; one the valley itself seems to recognize. But Cades Cove is full of old stories. And some of them are hungry. A creature born from grief stalks the ridgeline, feeding on outlines and truth. A guardian carved of bark and ancient sorrow lies dying beneath the weight of centuries. And an older force; the Deep One buried under the mountains; has awakened to judge whether Emma and Daniel live.
or are meant to be claimed. When the valley demands a sacrifice, Emma and Daniel must choose not just survival, but each other; binding their lives to a world that will never let them go. Terrifying, atmospheric, and deeply emotional, The Mistwalker of Cades Cove is a supernatural Appalachian romance where love becomes the only light strong enough to face the dark.