Empire of Blood
Welcome to a Roman-inspired world ruled by merciless vampires and vengeful gods.
1. WE WHO WILL DIE by Stacia Stark
SYNOPSIS
Life in the perilous Thorn district is a constant battle for Arvelle and her younger brothers. And the vampire standing on her doorstep is about to turn their world upside down.
Faced with an unthinkable choice, Arvelle makes a magically binding vow to do the impossible: kill the emperor, an ancient vampire created by the god Umbros. But first, she must enter the Sundering—an arena where only the fastest, strongest, and deadliest survive long enough to be selected for the emperor’s elite guard.
She quickly draws the ire of the Primus, the powerful figure charged with protecting the emperor. But the vampire under the armor is the last person Arvelle expects to encounter in the emperor’s court.
With her brothers’ lives in the balance, Arvelle has no choice but to ally with the man who once shattered her heart… and with the emperor’s sadistic son, Rorrik—two vampires whose motives are impossible to pin down. Rorrik holds the key to understanding the powers Arvelle is developing—abilities that would put a price on her head if discovered by the emperor.
To survive the arena and complete her mission, Arvelle must get to the bottom of a conspiracy that will change everything she thought she knew about herself—and the two vampires who are deeply entwined with her destiny…
2. WE WHO WILL RISE by Stacia Stark
SYNOPSIS
Arvelle never expected to survive the emperor’s arena. She never expected to make a dangerous deal with his vampire sons Tiernon and Rorrik. And she certainly never expected to become a point of contention in the brothers’ already hostile relationship.
With Mortuus stirring in his prison, Arvelle is forced to work with Rorrik to translate a long-lost journal that may hold the key to containing the god of ruin.
As Mortuus’s power grows, her only hope is to confront the truth about her own power, and ally with the gods who caged him so long ago. But the gods are fractured, and their grudges are older than the empire.
When old wounds begin to reopen, Arvelle reaches a tentative alliance with the last person she could have expected. But this connection demands she cross an unthinkable boundary to reveal a new version of herself—someone powerful enough to save an empire.
Pursuing that power could cost her everything. And survival will hinge on who—if anyone—she can trust.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stacia Stark is a best-selling author of fantasy romance.
When she’s not writing or exploring the world, Stacia can usually be found sprawled on her sofa, lost in the pages of a good book.
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