Is it better to be owned and cherished, or free but forsaken? 

Jaara isn't sure, but she's about to find out, as she lives in a time when those given powers by the gods are hunted and enslaved for their gifts. However, Jaara isn't your typical captive. Her ability to feel the souls and emotions of anyone around her comes from a rare god. And when she is sold to a foreign king, Jaara does what few have dared before—she strikes a deal with him. 

The king will grant Jaara his favor, protecting her from the horrors of the slave trade, if she deceives his rival while venturing with him into a dark jungle in search of a coveted gem only someone with her gift can find.

With no hope of escaping her cruel new life, Jaara agrees to the king's difficult task. But when he sends his favorite slave to aid her, the two grow close, despite their antagonistic start, his own mystifying gift, and Jaara's wavering loyalty when the king's rival offers her something even better than favor if she gives the gem to him instead. 

As rulers move against each other and she begins to unravel the history behind her patron god, Jaara becomes caught between the royals who own her, the gods who blessed her, and the enemy-turned-lover whose own secrets may yet still shatter her heart.

*Note: This is a temporary cover. Publishing date TBA.