Prize of the Warlord

When Ixiana is kidnapped from her family's fortress by a brutal warlord named Cronan, she fears the worst. But the warlord is after a ransom—something to change the fate of his people. Ixiana is simply a means to an end, an annoying captive whose weakness frustrates him. When he starts teaching her to fight, it's painful for both of them—until their mutual anger and frustration ignites a new kind of fire.