Bride of the Traitor
A Prophecy of Sisters Novel
Hayley Faiman
HAYLEY FAIMAN BOOKS, LLC
Contents
Also by Hayley Faiman
Stay Connected
Words and Phrases of Bunafi
Geography of Bunafi
Animals of Bunafi
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
Epilogue
Bride of the Warrior
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Epilogue
Stay Connected
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Copyright © 2020 by Hayley Faiman
All rights reserved.
Cover Designer & Editor: My Brother’s Editor. Ellie McLove. http://www.mybrotherseditor.net
Proofreading: My Brother’s Editor. Rosa Sharon. http://www.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: http://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
Notorious Devils MC—
Rough & Rowdy
Rough & Raw
Rough & Rugged
Rough & Ruthless
Rough & Ready
Rough & Rich
Rough & Real
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-Summer 2020
Unfit Hero Series –
CONVICT
HERO
FRAUD
KILLER
Zanetti Famiglia Series -
Becoming the Boss
Becoming his Mistress
Becoming his Possession
Becoming the Street Boss-Summer 2020
The Prophecy of Sisters
Bride of the Traitor
Esquire Black Duet Series –
DISCOVERY
APPEAL
Forbidden Love Series —
Personal Foul
Kinetic Energy
Standalone Titles
Royally Relinquished: A Modern Day Fairy Tale
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Life is just a journey.
Princess Diana
Words and Phrases of Bunafi
Sard – Fuck
Intercurse – Intercourse/Sex
Anchovy – Insulting word for vagina
Diddeys – Slang for Breasts
Fopdoodle- When someone is up their own ass.
Jobbernowl – Idiot
Queynte – Vagina/pussy
Tallywags – Testicles
Wimble – Slang for penis
Chancery – Office
Frauenhaus – Brothel
Geography of Bunafi
Bunafi – Country
Aerilon – Capital of Bunafi
Kelna – City
Irragin – City
Beallenau – City
Llyne – Bordering country
Animals of Bunafi
Elephant Bird – Flightless bird, similar to an ostrich.
Arion – Greek mythological large horse, with wings that can speak.
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
SYBILLA
A chill ran over my body as I started walking faster toward my apartment. I usually avoid this route home. It’s riddled with vivid memories. None of them good. All of them about my ex. It’s a drizzling, dreary day, not that it’s different from any other day of the year. Portland isn’t really known for its bright sunshine days, anyway.
Licking my lips, I reach for the handle of my building
and slip inside. My phone rings in my pocket as I approach my door and I quickly take it out, glancing at the name on my caller ID. I shouldn’t be surprised to see that it’s Drusilla, my youngest sister.
“Hello?” I greet, sliding my key into the lock and opening the door.
“You sound funny,” she announces.
Closing and locking the door behind me, I grunt. “I just got home from work. It’s cold and raining.”
She snorts. “You just described every day in that city. Why don’t you move to Florida with me? A condo just went up for sale two doors down from mine. We could be neighbors,” she squeals.
My little sister is the epitome of a happy blonde cheerleader. I don’t know how we’re even related. I have dark blonde hair, really, it’s more brown than anything, but I’m living in denial. Even when I’m happy, I don’t bounce around as much as she does. She’s got to be the happiest person I know.
“I’ll think about it,” I lie.
“He’s not coming back, please, move here and start over. You need a change,” she says.
Her voice is less excited and oddly serious. It’s not like her, and I narrow my eyes as I sink down on my sofa. Pressing my lips together, I wonder exactly what is up with her. I don’t ask, she wouldn’t tell me.
Dru may be a happy cheerleader, but she’s also a closed book. She keeps her personal life extremely closed off to the rest of us. I’m one of four girls, I have two older sisters, then Dru is the baby. We’re all close, but we’ve all chosen jobs that have us spread out across the states.
“I don’t want him back,” I lie again.
There’s a moment of silence before I hear Dru release a heavy sigh. “Think about it. Seriously, think about it. He’s a loser and you deserve someone magical.”
Pressing my lips together, I shake my head. “Magic doesn’t exist, Dru. Sometimes we have to settle for adequate.”
“You should never have to settle, and not for adequate. Ever.”
We talk for a few more minutes, then I come up with an excuse to hang up. Even if Dru doesn’t buy it, she allows it, with a promise to call her in a few days. I agree before I lie down on my sofa and curl up into a ball.
Staring at my powered off television, I wonder if she could be right?
Could there be something magical out there?
For me?
ELIAS
I stare at my father lying in his coffin, in the middle of his self-built tomb. Apparently being buried with the rest of the kings and queens of our country wasn’t good enough for the traitorous bastard.
He was just that too. A traitor. Not only to his crown, but to his country and to me. Licking my lips, I wonder if anyone is going to visit him or can I just have him buried beneath the stone and be done with it?
“Elias, Your Majesty,” a voice calls out.
Turning my head, I look to see my father’s head of counsel standing at the mouth of the tomb entrance. He has his hands folded in front of himself, his head tipped, but his eyes are on me.
“We must plan the coronation, Your Highness,” he calls out softly.
I grunt in annoyance. “Would this land truly accept a traitor’s son on the throne?” I ask.
His body jerks back from my words and he takes a step toward me, but moves no farther. “It is your duty, Your Majesty.”
“Duty.” I snort as my gaze drifts back to my father. “Duty is the only reason I do not ride with my soldiers and leave this hell.”
Turning my back on my father, I lift my hand, my eyes focused on the counsel. “Bury him.”
Without another word, I leave the tomb. It’s time to take my rightful place on the throne. The son of a traitor, a tarnished reputation before I’ve even begun. It is time for me to rule people who hate my family’s legacy.
It is time for me to be swallowed by the depths of hell in the name of duty.
Chapter One
ONE MONRTH LATER
ELIAS
“You must choose a bride,” Cornwall, my head of counsel, demands.
I hear Merek chuckle deeply behind me. He is my closest friend, my cousin by blood, my brother in battle. He can also sard off. With a growl, I push the sheaf of papers away from me.
Tilting my head to the side, I press my lips together. “I mustn’t. I’m the King, focusing on my country, which already doesn’t trust a single bone in my body. I do not have time to take a wife.”
“You must produce an heir, and quickly. It is essential to your position.”
“By gods bones, Cornwall. I do not want a wife,” I snap.
Merek takes a step closer to my side. He’s looking at me, but I know that he will not utter a single word in front of Cornwall, for I know that he does not trust the man. How can he be trusted? He was counsel to my father, a traitor to his crown and country. A traitor to me, to my men and their families.
“That is all Cornwall,” I say, lifting my hand, dismissing the man.
He opens his mouth to speak, but my gaze is trained on his and I hope it is clear that this conversation is over.
“Think on it, Your Highness. Think on a wife, on creating an heir.”
Without saying anything else, he stands and leaves the room. Rowan and Henry open then close the doors behind him, moving to set the wooden lock in place so that nobody can bother us. I am now surrounded by my men, men that I trust wholeheartedly.
“Speak freely, Merek, I know that you have been patiently waiting to insert your opinion on the matters at hand.”
There’s a moment of silence, but I wait because I know that Merek has something to say. As my first cousin and my highest-ranking officer, he has my ear. I trust him more than I trust anybody else in this world.
“As much as I detest agreeing with Cornwall,” he spits. “You need to take a wife, even if you only lay with her to produce an heir and then send her away. Your throne must be secured.”
Rowan and Henry both cough and avoid my gaze. I know that Merek is right. I know what I need to do, but I am loathe to actually go through with it. As King, I cannot just marry whomever I wish. The marriage must be political, and gods bones, but I despise politics.
“There are several prospects. What about Lady Rose of Kelna?”
Henry makes a noise in the back of his throat that sounds much like a horse’s neigh. “Speak freely, Rowan and Henry, it’s just the brotherhood right now,” I grunt.
“I’m sorry to tell you, but Lady Rose’s face resembles that of your stallion, Storm,” Henry says, his voice even and calm, his eyes focused on my own.
Lifting my hand to my eyes, I drag it down the rest of my face with a groan. “I have a feeling most of the Ladies will have similar attributes,” I mumble.
“Lucky to be the King, you can bed any maiden on the side.” Rowan grins.
“Yes, lucky,” I snort.
Merek’s hand claps down on my shoulder and his fingers squeeze. “You do not need to decide today. Send for several prospects, put them up in the castle, see which one you can live with.”
Nodding, I must admit that it is not a terrible idea. There are only a handful of Ladies in this part of the world that fit the criteria to become my betrothed anyway.
My father honestly should have found one decades ago, but for some misguided reason, he didn’t. Perhaps he was too busy bedding any woman that would spread her legs for him to think about the future.
Now it is up to me to forge an alliance, save my country, create an heir, and try not to be miserable as I do all of the above.
“Send a missive. I want all of them here.”
“Are you going to throw a gala?” Merek asks with clear laughter in his voice.
“Apparently,” I grumble.
All three men are unable to hide their laughter at my expense. “Bring on the Ladies’ maids,” Rowan crows.
“You bastards,” I snap.
Their laughter turns into loud howling guffaws at my expense and I can’t help but join in. It feels good, laughing with my b
rothers again. I’ve missed this, with all of the stress of the past four weeks, I have missed my life before. When everything was simpler. When I simply led the best knights of the land.
“Your Majesty,” a woman cries with a pounding on the door.
Rowan and Henry unsheathe their swords before they unlock and wrench the heavy wooden doors open. The woman standing before the double doors bustles into the room and I blink at the sight of her.
She’s wearing a long, faded, worn, dull-colored dress. Her white hair is in a messy wild pile on top of her head and her bright-blue eyes are focused on me and me only.
“Your Highness.” She bows.