In the passionate, gut-wrenching sequel to Amber Hart’s Until You Find Me, Raven and Jospin must fight for each other in a world where love is never safe—and power is deadly.
Raven, a college girl from Michigan, came to the jungles of Cameroon searching for closure. Falling for Jospin, a handsome, charismatic hunter with dark secrets of his own, was never part of the plan. But despite their differences, their attraction is addictive, as exhilarating and wild as the rain forest itself—and also as dangerous.
For the sake of both their lives, their heated affair must remain a secret. Raven wants justice for her conservationist father’s death; to help her, Jospin must turn his back on his own father and the only life he has ever known. Together they risk being hunted by a band of ruthless poachers, but they take the chance anyway, working to bring down their enemies between each stolen kiss.
But when one slip puts Raven’s life at stake, Jospin knows he must act. He has captured Raven’s heart—now can he set her free?
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Excerpt
I’m not used to being weak—maybe that’s the problem. Because the truth is that loving Raven makes me weak. No, that’s not right. Loving Raven in the jungle makes me weak. Yes, that’s the difference. She would never be accepted as my mate, because I was pruned to be alpha, and an American habitat worker would never do. She would be seen as vulnerable, as my weak spot. She doesn’t know this jungle. It’s not her home. I would have to pick a mate who comes from the land I’m protecting. It’s just the way things are.
But you’re not lined up to be alpha anymore.
I’ve never loved someone enough to give up my whole life before.
Maybe somewhere else, in a city with busy streets that don’t care, Raven and I could be accepted. Just a regular couple doing ordinary things. I don’t even know what constitutes normal outside these trees. That’s why I know the thought is absurd. I belong here.
I need to find a way back to my tribe. Maybe I can rescue Raven and send her back home, out of this jungle, before I find them. I haven’t decided what to do with Clovis yet. I can’t kill him, not after he saved Raven’s life. He’s protecting her while I can’t, that much I know. I knew the second I looked into his eyes—hearing my father’s footsteps in the distance, coming for us— that he would keep her alive long enough for me to come for her.
It makes me sick to think about what he’s said to the pack. Maybe that she’s his. That would be acceptable, since Clovis is not in line to be alpha. My stomach knots.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that I will never be accepted back into my tribe, no matter what I do. Saving Raven stole that chance. The realization knocks the breath out of me.
Pain like the deepest knife.
I never wanted to leave them.
I have to now.
I’ll go somewhere else, outside this immediate territory. Somewhere people won’t know me as the heir to a poaching empire. A pocket of the rain forest where I can start over. Build a home and make weapons and live off the land. It’s all I’m good for now.
If Raven doesn’t want to go home, I could bring her with me. Start a life. Or maybe not. She doesn’t love the forest like I do. She only came as a favor, to find answers about her father’s death.
What happens now that she has them?
Maybe we have an expiration date, Raven and I. Maybe she’ll leave this forest and I will have given up everything for a girl who was never really mine. Or maybe she’ll stay. Maybe she’ll learn the whisper of the trees and the ways of the animals.
The possibilities are killing me. I maneuver down the tree until I’m out of the clouds and I can see into the forest underneath an awning of green leaves. I scan the forest floor. I check for danger: tribe members, other poachers, spies.
There’s nothing. So I follow the bark all the way down the tree until my feet hit dirt. And then I run. I don’t have the luxury of time. Just a fast-paced run until my lungs feel stretched and my heart feels hollow. Until I forget everything but breathing.
About Amber Hart
Amber Hart grew up in Orlando, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. She now resides on the Florida coastline with family. When unable to find a book, she can be found writing, daydreaming, or with her toes in the sand. She's the author of the Before & After series (BEFORE YOU; AFTER US), and the Until You Find Me series (UNTIL YOU FIND ME; CAPTURED BY YOU). Rep'd by Beth Miller of Writers House.
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