The maiden was just another treasure to be won—until she stole his heart and changed his life forever. Skeptical by nature and hardened by experience, the mercenary Rafael believes that a man must seize his heart’s desire or lose it to another. Elizabeth entices him with her wits and her beauty, and unable to resist her allure, he seizes her for his own. He does not expect this feisty maiden to defy him, much less to chose imprisonment in the Fae court over his charms—but Rafael does not readily relinquish any prize. He pledges to her family to retrieve her, but the price is her hand in marriage. Held hostage by the Fae king and tormented by the Elphine Queen, Elizabeth fears that impulse has led her false. The warrior Rafael is handsome and his kisses turn her blood to fire, but his cold manner means he is not the valiant knight she has imagined she will wed. Elizabeth suspects trickery when he appears to risk his life to retrieve her from the Fae court, but complies with his scheme to ensure their escape. Little does she imagine that playing at love will enchant this weary mercenary, let alone win the prize of his wary heart.