A maiden's self-imposed isolation makes her the seductive prize in a royal battle for powerLady Joanna Preston lives cloistered behind the walls of a nunnery, sealed away from a world of savagery and sorrow. As heir to the sought-after Oxwich Castle, Joanna has vowed never to love or take a husband, denying herself the passion she has secretly dreamed of. When Sir Rylan Kempe, Lord of Blaecston, a fierce yet noble warrior-knight locked in a vengeful battle with a royal enemy, comes to claim her and her castle in the name of ultimate revenge, Joanna is intent on defying the commanding knight at every turn.Yet soon the treachery of kings binds them together in unholy union and soul-deep desire, and Rylan must choose between his consuming love for Joanna and the treacherous game to which he has pledged his life.