Bride of the Emperor (The Prophecy of Sisters Book 4) Read online

  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.

  Visit my website: https://hayleyfaiman.com

  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

  Stay Connected

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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
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  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.