Bonds of Blood — Honor James

It was an arrangement, a contract, a deal between factions. Andries Mauricio is a soldier, does his duty, serves his people, and prays to die with dignity when his day comes. But then she steps into his life, rearranges all his preconceived notions, and puts his carefully controlled world into a tailspin. If only he knew for sure she was there for him and not to gain information for her backstabbing father. Every moment of her life is filled with terror and worry, every moment carefully thought out so as not to bring pain. Xandra Ripley knows how her days will end. Then it all changes with the first kind thing ever done for her. With war imminent, there they are, in the middle. Xandra wants safety. Andries wants his enemies dead. Can two more different people ever see what they both have before it's too late? Time is running out, and everything, including their hearts, is on the line in the most important battle of their lives.