Hitched: Spinoff from the Dark Romance Thriller Series: Edge and Whisper Are Getting Married

by Emma James

  Nana Catherine has told me Angel Rose has plans for me when I’m older, stronger, wiser.

  For now, I must learn how to keep my family safe and evil from them.

  I wake up to bright sunlight pouring through my bedroom window. I shield my eyes with my hand because my eyes feel super sensitive. I must have forgotten to draw the curtains last night in our haste to tear each other’s clothes off.

  The bedside clock says it’s still early, but the brightness of the sun makes me think the time is lying to me.

  Torque!

  My head swings to my left, and an overwhelming sense of relief hits me that he’s still in my bed—and naked.

  We used three condoms during the night then made a pit-stop under the shower where we did more than clean each other, before falling back into bed for some much-needed sleep.

  The coverings are riding low around Torque’s delectable ‘V’ area. His muscular body is on display for me to visually worship. He physically looks broader—stronger.

  I remember well what lies beneath the covers, and that only leads to wanting to touch and stroke what is hiding from me.

  I can’t even remember the “old version of Flora” anymore. I’m the new model who wants to get touched in all the intimate places and who wants to return the favor.

  I wonder if I should wake Torque up with my mouth.

  “If you keep staring, my cock is going to punch right through the sheet,” Torque growls before rolling me onto his stomach and moving me, so his increasing hard length is poking my entrance. “You’re looking radiant, darlin’. There’s a glow about you. You wear sexually satisfied, well.”

  “I could say the same about you because you’re looking and feeling”—I wriggle my spread thighs—”a little extra, yourself.”

  “We had better do something about—”

  And then I remember Bowie. How could I forget?

  I push off from Torque’s chest, ready to commando roll off him and jump to my feet, when strong hands grip my bare bum.

  “Sunflower, Bowie is fine. If he’s awake—and I doubt it at this time—Romeo is under strict orders to feed the three of them if nobody else is awake in the house. He will also text me immediately, and I’ll be up and out of your bed, so Bowie won’t know a thing has gone on here. I’ll go next door, and Romeo will buzz me in. My exit strategy has all been arranged. Right now, darlin’, I would love to know what you were thinking about when you were staring at me before.”

  Physically relaxing back against his chest, I brush loose strands of his hair away from his face. “I would much rather show you.” Who are you, and what have you done with Flora?

  “Well, good morning to you, too. Look who is a quick study.” Torque is all about the hooded eyes and the sexy grin. “Darlin’, by all means, show me.”

  Before I chicken out, because daylight brings with it a whole different bravery, I sit up, spin around and reverse into position before peeling the covers down to reveal Torque’s thick, long—

  “Breakfast in bed. Mmmm… I like where this is going.” He slaps my bare bottom.

  I look over my shoulder. “By the way, BOB got the sack. He’s going in the trash can.”

  “You say the sweetest things.”

  Then he moves me over his face, sliding his tongue slowly along—

  Oooh…

  We’re all waiting in Flora’s den, unbeknown to her and her company upstairs.

  And there they go again.” Finrod slaps his palm against his forehead.

  “I knew we should have barged into her bedroom the second we heard her awake.” Silvyr shakes his head at the lost window of opportunity.

  I’ve spent a long time standing here facing Flora’s “Toran” shrine. I’m trying not to feel guilty for what I have had no control over. If you haven’t guessed, I am Prince Thorin, a.k.a.,Toran.

  Gaemon, Finrod, Roan, and Silvyr are my Elven guards. They are known to Flora as Gamer, Finn, Rowdy, and Silver, back when we were role-playing at being human teenagers playing in a band and working in cafés and pizza parlors for minimum wage and tips.

  I messed everything up by telling my parents about Flora’s pregnancy.

  My parents killed me off in Flora’s eyes. Then they spelled me from remembering my time living here in the human world, which left a heavily pregnant teenage Flora with only her mother for support, forcing them to fend for themselves while I remembered nothing.

  Gamer, Finn, Rowdy, and Silver all had to play along when I was deemed dead, and they got shipped out of the home we all shared back to the “Other World.”

  Moans and mewling greet our extra sensitive ears before their noises get higher pitched and louder.

  “I think it’s kinky.” Roan would. “Wait for it… waait…”

  “Block your ears. Flora deserves this happiness,” Gaemon states the truth.

  She does deserve everything good in her life.

  The reason I am here with my Elven soldiers is my memories came swiftly back to me last night when the spell broke.

  My four guards had a gag-order spell placed on them, ensuring I could never get told about Flora and Bowie, but then I don’t need to be told if I now remember I had an unborn child with a human female all those years ago.

  I’ve lost over eight years knowing my son, who will turn nine in a few months, and all that time without supporting my best friend as I had promised her.

  Fast-forwarding to the present: Gaemon and Roan were already here, checking up on my son on my parents’ orders, and now, nothing was holding me back from seeing my boy and Flora.

  I only had to command Silvyr and Finrod to take me to Gaemon and Roan once I knew they were in this realm.

  I will be requesting an audience with my parents when we get back, although I suspect they already know where I am, and if my half-brother, Arondil, a.k.a., Aron, isn’t here with his minions to force me home, then that can only be a good sign.

  I want Bowie to know me. Flora has raised him well. I’ve only had a few hours to observe Flora’s life and to watch my son, but now we need to talk. I have to be honest about who I am.

  I saw my skateboards in Bowie’s room and how the “Toran” shrine is evidence my memory is kept alive. She kept my drumsti—

  “What the fuck?! And who are you all?” roars the warrior standing before us with little clothing on and my beautiful friend standing behind him in just a robe, his arm stretched out as he protects his female.

  I like him even more now.

  “Aren’t we supposed to be invisible to the human eye?”

  Flora looks straight at the man who voiced those words. “Rowdy?” He points to himself as surprised as we all are that they both appear to be able to see us and hear us. He does a thumbs-up sign, looking sheepish.

  She then looks directly at the other three men who are lying about on her couch. “Finn. Silver. Gamer?”

  The three of them jump to their feet and bow.

  “Oookaaay, I think Flora can see us. I bet we look like we’re off to Cos-play at Comic-Con,” Roan says, talking out the corner of his mouth.

  And then her pretty violet eyes rest on me, narrowing with anger. When did Flora get violet eyes? They used to be blue.

  I hold my breath in anticipation, wondering if Flora recognizes me. I look different with long, messy, black hair and pointy ears. My style of clothing far removed from my skater-boy style, but my facial features, although having matured from boy to man, are recognizable if you look closer. My green eyes have dialed their color up a bit, but her skater-boy is still underneath Prince Thorin.

  “Toran?” Flora cocks her head on the side, not believing what she’s seeing as she pushes her way around the warrior to get a closer look at me.

  “This is the guy who is supposed to be dead? Who left you pregnant and alone?” The big man is not amused.

  “Toran?” she whispers, her shaking hand raises to touch my face, tears glimmer in her eyes.

  I nod.

  “Boy, have
we got some explaining to do, but it looks like Flora has her own secrets. How did we not know?” Finrod pipes up.

  “You’re dead. You died. You left me,” she accuses me, weakly.

  “Yeah… about that—”

  I don’t even see the fist that punches me hard enough to knock me backward.

  “I can expla—”

  Two more rock-hard punches assault my face.

  THUMP!

  Lights. Out.

  Fate sits back on the kitchen table, swinging her legs, popping her pink bubblegum, twirling one blonde pigtail in her fingers. Her glamour is strong, not even the Elven soldiers can see through it as she waits for the warrior and Flora to appear.

  Fate is pleased with the success of the union between the warrior and the woman.

  One could say they were both “lucky” their paths crossed.

  Some might say they were “destined” to meet.

  Let’s recap for those who are not keeping up with those blatant hints.

  It all started nearly twenty years ago—give or take—in Texas (if you add up that whole timeline), out the front of the dive bar owned by the Lion’s Den MC where the young warrior had proven his worth to Destiny/Lucky. She released the male’s destiny, just as Fate and Cupid rocked up.

  The young warrior’s name at the top of Destiny’s list that day was, in fact, Torque’s, who would go on to lead the Lion’s Den MC as their president.

  Fate wasn’t there by chance; she had her own orders from her powers above to decommission Destiny/Lucky on the completion of her last job.

  Destiny was unknowingly going into early retirement. Her package would include reincarnation into a six-year-old body, an adoptive parent, and no recollection of her service as a Destiny.

  Like all Destinies reincarnated, it came with the creative license—from the powers above—to ensure memories were in place from birth and the adoptive parent’s mind is in sync with the memories and the parent carefully vetted for no living family members. Don’t think too hard about it, all “i’s” and “t’s” are dotted and crossed.

  The young warrior went on to live his life, full of danger and action and lots of sex. The little girl—Flora—grew up to meet a bunch of not-so-ordinary boys along the way, and had a baby before she met the warrior she was destined to be with.

  Toran’s spell (not-so-ordinary boy) got broken when Flora’s/Destiny’s first kiss with Torque/warrior (also not-so-ordinary-Thor-like-man) got sealed.

  All very Sleeping Beauty, a smooch from her true love.

  Well, you get the drift.

  Now is the part where everybody lives happily-ever-after.

  End of Story

  Only joking!

  Turn the page.

  Well, well, well, hasn’t the little bitch been living up the good life?

  My hand passes straight through the sleeping baby. I’m gonna have to work on that.

  I float out of the nursery and move around the big house and out into the backyard until I find Mathias sleeping on a sofa under the stars.

  My lips are by his ear. “‘Ello, traitor, me old friend. I have murder and mayhem to extract with you as me co-star. You and I are gonna be getting reacquainted, real fucking soon,” I snarl in his face. The guv’nah is ready to party!

  If only he could hear me—see me—fear me.

  I raise my arms to the sky.

  An eye for an eye.

  Bitches. I’m. Baaack!

  DESTINED

  PART 2

  THE FINALE

  COMING 2021

  To my family first, I thank you for all your support. As the years slide by, you are more invested in my words and respect the amount of work it takes to release a book. You ask me how I’m going when I have had no sleep as I work hard to get the ducks all lined up in a row. You are my greatest achievement, and I love you all to infinity and back.

  To J, you are always on my mind. Losing you so young, it hurts, bud, it hurts a whole lot. I hope to make you proud.

  Robyn Corcoran, thank you for being my alpha reader and proofreader on this project. I appreciate you and all you do. You are respected and valued. Thank you for your chats on sexual content. ;)

  Charli Jeffries, thank you for being my beta reader on this project and all round nice person. I love you found a new fave character couple of mine and ship Torque and Flora. #teamtora

  Thank you to all the ladies and gentleman who are in our closed reader group Emma James’s Sisterhood, for your daily support. I love seeing your postings you share in the group. I see you and appreciate you all. Road Trip ladies, I’m looking forward to seeing you all at BBTB Yarra in March.

  Thank you to Najla Qamber at Najla Qamber Designs for your beautiful cover design. You are so easy to work with.

  Thank you to Tracey Soxie Weston at Soxie Sensations for the other cover design I have for Hitched. Thank you to Jemina Venter at Booknerdfangirl for stepping in to add text to Hitched’s front cover. I appreciate the support.

  Happy Level 4 Birthday, Jemina Venter, for March. It’s a big one!! xx

  To the readers: Thank you for adding me to your reading schedules. So many books to read, not enough time, but you make time. I work so hard for you all because I don’t want to disappoint you. I keep writing, revising, writing, revising until I get to the point I know I couldn’t have tried any harder to bring you an escapism, and characters I hope you will fall in lurve with.

  Thank you, Max Henry, for formatting Hitched and bringing all the interior pretty.

  Cocky Caveman is up next branded under the Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward Cocky Hero Club World. If you’ve read Men of Ocean Beach series, you will have met Tucker. Cocky Caveman will be Tucker and Ophelia’s HEA.

  If you have read and enjoyed any of my books, please consider leaving a review. I appreciate the time spent sharing your thoughts with others, even if only a few words are laid down. I read every review. I see you. ☺

  Until next time, I bid you adieu.

  Emma

  XXXX

  Hi there,

  I’m Emma James. I was born where grapes get turned into wine, which may or may not explain my appreciation for a glass of wine or two. I am married with two teenagers and one in heaven. Miss you J. xxx There is never a dull moment in my life and for this, I am truly grateful because life is too short to contemplate the what-ifs. You’ll never know unless you give it a try.

  I’m the author of the completed Hell’s Bastard series, a jaw-dropping, highly addictive, unpredictable, sexy, and very twisted dark suspense/thriller series and also the much-loved Men of Ocean Beach series.

  I write in multi-genre and love to keep the reader guessing with all the twists and turns. Always expect the unexpected.

  One consistent thing with my stories is love will always rise from the ashes.

  Marley, our black Labrador, is the inspiration for Bear in Men of Ocean Beach series. Morrison, the family pet rescue cat, who has many OCDs, will be grabbing some of the limelight in a future standalone because the dude rocks the ‘tude.

  I like Pina Coladas, but not getting caught in the rain.

  I appreciate all of my readers and love hearing from you. I hope to bring you an escapism that stays with you and keeps you coming back for more.

  YOU CAN FIND ME AT:

  BookBub: https://bit.ly/2J4THac

  Twitter: @emmajamesbooks

  Facebook

  Instagram

  Amazon

  Goodreads

  Email: authoremmajames@bigpond.com

  Emma James’ Sisterhood – Facebook Reader Group

  Emma’s newsletter

 

 

 
(100%); -moz-filter: grayscale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share