About Captured By You
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 wake to find myself in a room I don’t
immediately recognize. I rub sleep from my eyes, stretch with a tired grunt—and
I remember clearly.
Chloe finally left me alone yesterday. It
took me only a minute to unpack my clothes onto the fixed shelves against the
wall. I put my weapons—aside from the ones strapped to my body—in my bag and
stuffed the bag under the bed. Tried to find sleep in a place entirely foreign
to me, with an uninviting melody of gorilla sounds playing in the background.
The door does have a dead bolt. Enough security to feel safe to dream in a
place like this. A place where they could hurt me, though they claim to be
peaceful.
I’m awake now. Wondering how I managed to
sleep at all.
This is how Raven lived.
I now know what it was like for her. The
small room and no space and people always milling about. I hear their voices
down the hall, mixed with a longer, farther-off sound of apes. Sometimes doors
shut with a thud that shakes the walls. Every now and again a laugh
penetrates the controlled chaos around me. They laugh here. Like it’s something
free.
I didn’t laugh often at home.
I was either at my place, alone, or around the
pack, where I had to be on my toes. Or I was with Father, which was never about
laughing, always about business. Maybe that’s why he has his house parties, to
allow the men to see him in a different light. As the alpha who lets his men
have a good time. Plenty of games, alcohol, and women. The best relief.
These are the thoughts I’m left with as I
lie in bed alone, wishing Raven were here. Raven made me laugh sometimes. I
wonder if we would laugh more if we were both here.
I can’t stand missing her this badly, so I
get up and get dressed. I decide to walk. I have no idea where I’m going, but I
move, down a hall, through some sort of corridor. I don’t want to head in the
direction of the gorillas, where the noise is the loudest, so I take another
route. It leads me to a cafeteria. A couple of people are sitting inside. Both
Cameroonian. Volunteer workers, probably.
I’m not in the mood to talk to people, so,
even though they’ve spotted me, I move on. Some doors are shut, some open. I
see another bedroom like mine, then a room with buckets, a few sinks, an
island, and long countertops, like a kitchen. I see another room, with a group
of chairs —a lounge perhaps.
It’s not here, whatever it is I thought I’d
find by walking around.
I make my way back to my room. Once inside,
I pace back and forth. Try to process everything. Raven is at the compound and
I am here. Our lives have reversed. I glance out the window longingly. The
forest is alive with sounds and colors. Stalks of flowers reach for the sky.
Branches bloom with leaves, and creatures crawl about—like the worm inching his
way along, the butterfly resting on bark, nearly camouflaged if not for the
fluttering of its wings, and the ants that march down the tree trunk to the
ground.
I grab a few extra rounds of ammo and stuff
them in my pockets. Though I’m playing with fire, I decide to head outside.
It’s not safe. It’s surely not ideal. But I need a release and I’m not getting
it here.
I find the front door and brace myself for
the forest. The smell of wood, sap oozing from trees to infuse the air with a
sweet fragrance. The sounds.
Chirp, chirp, tweet.
Thump, thawk, shhh.
I smile. I don’t mean to. It’s just that
the jungle does this to me. Makes me come alive, makes my blood thrum and my
muscles tighten, and I know that I’ll find what I need here. I’m at peace. This
is my real home.
I search my line of sight for the highest
tree and find it. My boots attach easily to the bark, and I climb to the top.
From here, I can see everything. I peer down at what looks like a field of
grass and bushes. Reality: It’s the tops of trees. It’s what the ceiling of the
forest looks like. This is my vantage point.
From here I smell wind. Not dank earth and
wooded forest but clean, refreshing clouds. It’s a special thing. To smell
clouds. To be so high that you can touch them. Breathe them in, a little heavy
and sort of wet.
I love this feeling. I hold on to it for a
few breaths. Let my eyes settle over the expanse of green. From here, only
birds can see me. A few, some yards off, are puffing their feathers up and
down. Trying to attract a mate. What a place to do it, on a branch so far up
and away from it all.
I want to bring Raven here one day, let her
see the world from this view. It looks different. It puts things into
perspective. I’m so small down there. Up here, I’m king.
Unfortunately, I’m too high up. I won’t see
into the forest from here, so I have to work my way down. But first I
wanted this. A breath of the freshest air. A calm stealing through my veins so
I can think clearly.
I need to get Raven back.
I love her. I miss her.
Giveaway
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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