Bride of the Emperor
A Prophecy of Sisters Novel
Hayley Faiman
HAYLEY FAIMAN BOOKS, LLC
Contents
Also by Hayley Faiman
Stay Connected
Words and Phrases of Savona
Gods
The Prophecy
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Epilogue
Bride of the Scholar
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Epilogue
Stay Connected
About the Author
Acknowledgments
BRIDE OF THE EMPEROR
Copyright © 2021 by Hayley Faiman
All rights reserved.
Cover Designer & Editor: My Brother’s Editor. Ellie McLove. https://mybrotherseditor.net
Proofreading: My Brother’s Editor. Rosa Sharon.
https://mybrotherseditor.net
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Created with Vellum
Also by Hayley Faiman
Men of Baseball Series—
Pitching for Amalie
Catching Maggie
Forced Play for Libby
Sweet Spot for Victoria
Russian Bratva Series—
Owned by the Badman
Seducing the Badman
Dancing for the Badman
Living for the Badman
Tempting the Badman
Protected by the Badman
Forever my Badman
Betrothed to the Badman
Chosen by the Badman
Bought by the Badman
Collared by the Badman
Complete BoxSet
Notorious Devils MC—
Rough & Rowdy
Rough & Raw
Rough & Rugged
Rough & Ruthless
Rough & Ready
Rough & Rich
Rough & Real
Complete BoxSet
Cash Bar Series—
Laced with Fear
Chased with Strength
Flamed with Courage
Blended with Pain
Twisted with Chaos
Mixed with Trouble
SAVAGE BEAST MC –
UnScrew Me
UnBreak Me
UnChain Me
UnLeash Me
UnTouch Me
UnHinge Me
UnWreck Me
UnCage Me - Spring 2021
Unfit Hero Series –
CONVICT
HERO
FRAUD
KILLER
COWBOY
Zanetti Famiglia Series -
Becoming the Boss
Becoming his Mistress
Becoming his Possession
Becoming the Street Boss
Becoming the Hitman
The Prophecy of Sisters
Bride of the Traitor
Bride of the Sea
Bride of the Frontier
Bride of the Emperor
Esquire Black Duet Series –
DISCOVERY
APPEAL
Astor Family Series —
Hypocritically Yours
Forbidden Love Series —
Personal Foul
Kinetic Energy
Standalone Titles
Royally Relinquished: A Modern Day Fairy Tale
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Where there is unity there is always victory.
Publilius Syrus
Words and Phrases of Savona
Augur – priest
Capitis – capital
Concubina – mistress
Cubiculum – bedroom
Culus – ass
Cunnus – cunt
Dolo – pike
Domum – mansion
Dulcissima – sweetest
Famulus – female slave
Frater – brother
Futuo – fuck
Gladius – sword
Ilium – balls
Infans – baby
Insanus – insane
Landica – clit
Locus – joke
Lupanar – brothel
Maenianum – balcony
Maga – powerful witch
Magi – magic
Manducare – eat
Melculum – my little honey
Mentula – penis
Mulier – wife
Nihil – no
Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo – I’ll fuck you in the ass and face-fuck you
Pontifex maximus – priest
Popinae – bars
Prandete – breakfast
Princeps – prince
Puer – child servant
Pulcher – beautiful
Pupus – boy
Pulcher – beautiful
Regina – princess
Servi – slave
Somnum – sleep
Temporarius – temporary
Triclinium – formal dining room
Turba lupi – pack of wolves
Venefica – sorceress/witch/enchantress
Venereum – sex club
Venio – come
Gods
Amare - Goddess of Love
Odium - God of Hate
Diaboli - God of the Underworld
The Prophecy
Four sisters.
Four sisters will be born. They are not of this world.
Four sisters who are born of the same mother and father, yet do not share the same appearance. They are the only ones of their kind in the entire universe. Across our world and all others.
Four sisters will marry and love the fiercest warriors from all four corners of our world. Once all four relationships are consummated, the events foretold in the prophecy will be set in motion, becoming unstoppable.
If the four sisters come together once their fate has been sealed, they will absorb all of the powers this world holds.
Four sisters will be the most powerful creatures in this world. It is not known if this will be used for good or evil.
The future is uncertain and unknown if these sisters gather together in our world. Only the fates know what the final outcome will be.
Prologue
DRUCILLA
The police officer looks at me almost suspiciously. He’s shorter, portly, and narrows his eyes as if he thinks that I’m crazy. Maybe I am. If I’m not yet, I will be soon. I can feel it coming. It doesn’t matter, because my sisters are gone. Right now, I’m looking at Birdie’s abandoned car, complete with all of her shit inside of it.
All of my sisters are missing.
Where is Birdie? Nobody vanishes into thin air like that. She just disappeared. I know that she didn’t go willingly. Her camera was just sitting in her car. She would never leave her camera behind, no matter what. She would have fought and that camera would have been glued to her somehow.
Something is really wrong here, and I don’t know what to do. What do I do? I’m so lost. What the hell do I do?
This police officer isn’t helping either, all he’s doing is looking at me, watching me. Staring and judging behind his eyes. He tilts his head to the side, then sucks in some air through his teeth as he rocks back on his heels.
“Well, little girl, your sister is an adult. Not much I can do. Seems she wanted to maybe just start over, fresh.”
Little girl? What a dick.
“Thanks,” I grind out.
Turning away from him, I walk toward my rental car. I’m done dealing with this asshole. I don’t know what’s going on, but something is happening to my sisters and it involves all of us, all four of us.
I’m not going to let my sisters just disappear without a trace and sit back drinking a latte as if nothing has happened. I know without a doubt that they all didn’t decide to start a new life and run away. That’s something I would do, not any of them.
Driving toward the hotel, I look around the desert and wonder why the hell Birdie would even want to live here anyway? It’s dry and windy. It’s been a nightmare on my hair and my skin is its own issue altogether.
Walking back into my hotel room, I throw everything onto the bed and sink down on the edge. I need to call my mom. She has to know something. She’s not one to just let her daughters vanish and accept it, at least I wouldn’t think so. I don’t know why she’s not tearing the country apart looking for them.
Something is really wrong.
I feel like a selfish bitch. Birdie told me that I was being immature and ridiculous and she’s right, I was. I am. Now she’s gone. With my phone in my hand, I hold it tightly in my grasp as I pinch my eyes closed and just try to breathe.
I can’t help but feel that part of the reason Birdie is missing has to be my fault. If I would have just helped her. Maybe if I would have come here, offered to go to Seattle with her, something, then she wouldn’t have been alone. Then I would be with her wherever she is.
Slowly, I open my eyes and look down at my device. Looking for my mom’s name, I touch the call icon before I lift the phone to my ear. It rings a couple of times before my mom’s voice sings into the line.
She does not sound worried at all, not even a little bit.
“Mom, I can’t find Birdie, I’m here in Arizona and she’s not here. Her car was found abandoned. I’m really worried,” I blurt out.
There’s a moment of silence, then my mother actually laughs. It’s a low husky laugh, but she doesn’t seem worried at all.
“They are just fine, Dru. Don’t worry. Go home and wait for your moment. You’ll see them again, soon.”
“Are you high?” I ask on a whisper.
She laughs again but doesn’t answer me. Which means that she probably is just that. “Relax, you’re too wound up about this. I have a good feeling, deep in my gut. I’m not worried at all.”
“Where’s Dad?” I demand.
She’s quiet for a moment, then she clears her throat. “I’ve already talked about all of this with him. He is worried, but he trusts my judgment.”
“All of my sisters are gone. This is not a coincidence,” I grind out.
“Just calm down, honey.”
“I will not calm down,” I shout. “Tell me where the hell they are, Mom.”
Again, she doesn’t say anything immediately. “Go back to Florida, Dru.”
“Mom?” I whisper. “I’m scared.”
She hums, and for a moment I think that my soft, sweet, caring mom is back, but she’s not the same. Something in her is different. She is so nonchalant about this, I don’t understand it at all.
“Don’t be, honey. Things will work out the way that they are meant to.”
“How can you be so calm?” I ask on a whisper.
There is silence. It lasts so long that I think the call has dropped, but then she begins to speak again. I don’t understand how she can be so calm, even as she explains why she is. What she says does nothing to ease my worry.
“I was worried, but then I had a dream. After the dream, I went to my psychic. It’s all going to be okay. Just take deep breaths and wait for your turn.”
My turn.
What the actual shit?
Pressing my lips together, I end the call and stare at the hotel room wall.
My turn.
What does that even mean?
TIBERIUS
Standing at the edge of the maenianum, I place my hand on my hip as I survey my land. Mine. It is just that now. My father has died, with his death is the end of his tyranny. Exhaling a deep breath, I can’t help but lift my lip in a small smile. I will not do as my father has done. I will not allow my people to live in fear and poverty.
I can smell in the air that something has shifted. There is a change coming and it is not simply with the change of rule. The change of me taking over after my father’s death. Something is happening or is going to happen. I just don’t know what it could be, not yet.
Death.
I could call it untimely, however, it was very much timed.
I killed him.
Plain and simple.
It was honorable.
As honorable as it was, my blade still went across his neck and severed the connection of his head from his body. Then, that head was placed on a dolo for the entire country to see. I will not tolerate a man of his kind, not anymore.
He went too far.
Cassia walks up beside me, her scent unmistakable. “You have done what is best for the country, Tiberius.”
I hum, continuing to look straight ahead. “But at what cost?”
She reaches over to me, wrapping her fingers around my forearm and squeezes. “The gods would not have put you in this place without a plan. They will show you the way, you must have faith in their plans.”
I don’t say anything, there is nothing to say. She is justifying me taking my father’s head by bringing in the will of the gods. Although I do believe that the gods have fated plans in place, I am just unsure that those include me taking my own father’s life. Though there is nothing that I can do about it now.
The deed is done.
I am indeed a warrior and I have killed hundreds of men, but there is something that does not sit right with me about killing my own blood, even though he was very
much deserving.
“He hurt you,” I grind out.
There is a moment of silence, then she shifts around and stands in front of me. Tipping my chin down, she tilts her head backward and I look into her dark brown eyes. She smiles softly up at me and I forget sometimes just how young and untouched by life that she is.
Lifting my hand, I use my thumb and slide it along the apple of her cheek. She wraps her fingers around my wrist and squeezes as she holds my hand still.
“You are my hero, Tiberius. You have been hardened by war, but you are still the same man deep down inside. You will always be good.”
I do not have the heart to tell her that I am no such thing. You cannot be good and do the things that I have in this life. You cannot be good and kill the way that I have. You cannot be good and murder your own father, take his head and put it in the middle of the capitis the way that I have, a reminder to the rest of the people just how cruel you can be.