Game of Throbs Complete Series (Books 1-3) Read online

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  Game of Throbs Series

  (Part 1-3)

  By: Piquette Fontaine

  Table of Contents

  Game of Throbs (Part 1)

  Game of Throbs (Part 2)

  Game of Throbs (Part 3)

  HERE IS YOUR SPECIAL BONUS!!!

  The Voyeurs

  Closing The Deal (Part 1)

  Eternal Menage

  Young Prospects

  My Bucket List Series – I Kissed A Girl

  Office Party Menage

  The Red Book (Part 1)

  A Billionaire’s Heart

  Shifters in the Shadows

  The Dragon Menage Prophecy

  My Bucket List Series – Then Comes Marriage

  Bed, Breakfast And Beyond

  Hot For Teacher

  Island Hot Swap

  Oh Holey Night

  Ghosts Inside

  Menage at Sea

  Taken By Two Ghosts

  I’m With The Band

  Apparition Threesome

  Stepbrother Proposal

  Lover Awakened

  Savage Urges

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  Game of Throbs (Part 1)

  Chapter 1

  Once there was a cold and frigid land known as Westerado, divided into four kingdoms, each of whom had spent decades in conflict with the others, fighting over scarce resources as well as the coveted and ostentatious seat of ultimate power- the Pointy Throne. To the north of the land lay the kingdom of Northerado, a country of jagged, treacherous mountains, inhabited by the mighty ice titans, the Sidhe. To the east lay the coastal region of Easterado, where piercing cold winds blew in from the sea and could make even the noblest and bravest warrior's nipples hard with frigidity. To the south was the nation of Southerado, rolling plains home to a race of fire-breathing human-dragon hybrids. And finally, to the west of Westerado, lay Westerado- you know, like how Australia is both a country and a continent.

  It was in West Westerado that the Pointy Throne presently lay in the possession of King Aeryc II, giving him and his people dominance over the land as a whole. With tensions mounting between the four corners of the cold and desolate continent, King Aeryc knew that it was only a matter of time before war became an inevitability. It was thus that he sought to unify his kingdom with his neighbors, through the exchange of his daughter's hand in marriage.

  Aeryc's daughter Winter was a relatively innocent and carefree girl, long sheltered from the harsh realities of life in Westerado due to her status as the King's daughter and only child. Kind-hearted, but frequently naïve, Winter valued her independence and liked to believe the best in those around her. For her, the realities of war and struggles over resources seemed silly and infantile, and any time her father went about discussing such trivial matters, she was prone to react with a roll of her eyes, disappearing into her room and tending to her own business.

  Aeryc knew that, given Winter's short-sightedness and spoiled nature, the prospect of getting her to agree to marriage to the prince of one of the four kingdoms might prove problematic. At nineteen years old, Winter was proving more independent and strong-willed than ever, and Aeryc knew that convincing her to play ball was going to take a great deal of convincing.

  Carefully approaching her bedroom door, which was closed as usual, Aeryc knocked three times. He waited, but could hear music being blared from the other side of the wall and knew that Winter surely couldn't have heard him.

  He knocked harder and yelled through the door, remaining polite for fear of irritating his daughter. “Winter I would like a word, please... Do you think you could turn the music down?”

  “Dad?” he heard his daughter's voice over the booming of the cellos. “Come in, I'm decent!”

  She didn't turn the music down as requested however- she'd clearly not heard this part of his request. He opened the door and stepped inside to see Winter sitting on her bed, painting her toenails, while the royal orchestra played on in the corner of the room.

  “What's up?” she said, smiling politely up at her father.

  “Could you please turn the music down?!” he asked, holding his hands up to his ears. The music didn't stop immediately, but the instrumentalists paid Winter an inquiring look, as if asking whether they wished her to comply. She gave them a quick nod, as if to say, “It's cool.” Slowly the more boisterous instruments all faded out, leaving only the harpist playing, a faint continuation of the tune that had been blasting at full volume only moments before.

  “Thank you,” said Aeryc, and everyone but the harpist shuffled out of the room with their instruments.

  “What's on your mind?” Winter asked, finishing up the nails of her right foot, and blowing on them to dry.

  “Well,” said Aeryc, gathering his thoughts, and trying to bear in mind that he was the king, and his daughter was- well, his daughter. Sometimes he forgot this, and it seemed as though she wielded far more authority in their interactions than he did. “You've heard me talking a lot about the situation in Westerado, and the tensions that have been mounting between the four kingdoms in recent years.”

  “Yeah, you might have mentioned it,” smiled Winter, oblivious as usual.

  “Well, the time has come that I believe the situation is at something of a breaking point. Now, more than ever, a peaceful solution is required to unite the four kingdoms. And rarely is there a more effective way of promoting such unity than through the holy sanctity of marriage.”

  “You're marrying one of the other kings?” asked Winter, her expression lighting up. “Well good for you! I knew sooner or later you would learn to be honest with yourself about who you really were? With the way you dress, and your mannerisms...”

  “Excuse me?” said Aeryc, an eyebrow raised. “What- no, that's not what I meant at all! What I'm saying, young lady, is that it's time for you to step up and take some responsibility in this kingdom. You're a princess, after all, a royal heir to the Pointy Throne. As daughter of the king, it is your responsibility to marry another royal, as a means of preserving peace among the land.”

  “What?” exclaimed Winter, growing indignant. Aeryc steadied himself for the battle that he'd known would be inevitable. She could be next to impossible to talk to when she was like this. “No way! For one thing, Mister Patriarchy, I don't even know whether I believe in marriage... But if I do, I believe it should be through two people who love each other, not some business transaction to keep you from losing your precious throne...”

  “Do you hear yourself?” said Aeryc, knowing that his temper was beginning to show, but unable, really, to help himself. “Thousands of lives lay in the balance here, don't you understand? For all your talk of doing good and making the world a better place, you refuse to make even the least bit of compromise for the sake of your ideas. Such a union as this would not solve all of our problems, but it would at the very least solidify trust between half of the continent. And with any luck, the remaining half would then fall into line as well...”

  Winter seemed to be chewing on this, wanting to bite ba
ck again, but realizing that at least parts of what he said were true. Not that she felt obligated to marry for him and his causes, necessarily, but it was true that she did very little herself to promote the sorts of changes she wanted to see in the world- and promoting the sorts of changes she wanted to see in the world were the fundamental messages of at least three of the tattoos she'd had printed across her back and midriff... That wasn't the sort of oath that one betrayed lightly.

  “Alright...” she said, slowly, still angry at her father's arrogance in this. “Let's say, in theory, that I did agree to whoring myself out like that... Just whom, exactly, would you be expecting me to marry?”

  Aeryc suddenly felt as though he had a bargaining chip- Winter had thought he had someone in particular in mind for her, and with what he had to say next, it would appear as though he was being more liberal in his request than she'd originally expected of him.

  “That, my dear, would be entirely your choice. I know the princes of all three other kingdoms fairly well, and all of them, to me, seem as though they would present an ideal candidate for a husband for my darling little daughter. If you were to consider going through with this, you would have the opportunity to travel to the other three corners of the land, and meet these suitors face-to-face. Then, the decision is entirely down to you- which of them you most prefer, whether you wish to go through with it at all... All of that.”

  Winter's misgivings began to evaporate all of the sudden, and inside her chest her heart was beating faster at the prospect of what she was being told. She'd never been outside the territory of West Westerado, and the opportunity to go and explore the rest of the land could indeed prove a thrilling one. On one hand, she still couldn't decide for certain whether even agreeing to consider this was degrading to her, but on the other hand- it might just be a hell of a lot of fun.

  “Okay...” she said, kicking her freshly painted toes over the edge of the bed, and standing up. “I will consider your proposal... I'll meet the men into whose arms you're trying to foist me, and approach the situation with an open mind. Just don't expect a commitment from me just because you're in hot water and need a quick solution to pull you out of it...”

  Aeryc might normally have reprimanded his daughter for sassing him in this manner, given how little she really understood about the political situation across the land, and the endless value of acting with pragmatism. But in this case, the reaction he'd gotten had been about the best he could possibly have expected, and he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

  “Oh, thank you my darling... I appreciate this so much. You know I love you, and only want what's best for all of us.”

  Winter couldn't help but smile as her father embraced her, his warmth soothing her, and reminding her that, in spite of his backwards ways, he really could be a pretty good guy sometimes.

  She hoped the men that he had in mind for her possessed even a shred of the same decency...

  Chapter 2

  Winter was off on her epic journey toward matrimony through the lands of Westerado. Her first destination was to be the eastern nation of Easterado, for an engagement with the nation's human prince, Jim Slush. Winter had heard rumors about the kingdom's young prince, a couple of years older than herself, and known for his manners and politeness in dealing with others. From his preceding reputation, at least, a man such as himself might not make so terrible a husband, and in any case, Winter had been eager to behold his father's seaside kingdom since she was a young girl.

  Within a few days' journey- and after a brief stop around midway to admire a roadside attraction of the World's Largest Bowl of Brown- Winter and her convoy of servants had arrived at last in Easterado.

  As accustomed as she was to the icy climate of West Westerado, it seemed to her nothing compared to the brutal gusts of gale force winds from the Easterado Sea, which cut through her garments and sent a series of goosebumps erupting all along her milky white skin.

  On the evening of the date in question, she slipped into the back of a carriage with none other than Jim Slush himself, and the two of them set out on their way.

  Immediately, the annoyance Winter had been directing at her father began to diminish somewhat, as the attraction she felt herself experiencing toward the first of her suitors was intense and all-consuming. From the first look they exchanged, peering deep into one another's eyes, it was clear that Jim's reputation as a gentleman was, if anything, an understatement. He was absolutely dazzling to her, with his flowing dark hair, his mischievous smile, everything about him charming as hell.

  “Hello,” he said, nodding politely as Winter settled into her seat. “I'm James.”

  “I'm Winter,” she said cheerily in return, smiling at him. “It's a pleasure to meet you...”

  The bitter cold air was beginning to make her nipples hard, a fact which neither of them failed to notice as they pressed through the silvery fabric of her dress. Jim Slush, however, gentleman that he was, kindly averted his eyes, and pretended not to notice. “I guess it's fitting that our family sits on the Pointy Throne,” she said awkwardly, thinking that making light of the situation might ease some of the strain. She probably should have kept her mouth shut about it, she thought, immediately upon saying it, but Jim Slush simply smiled at her. “You look absolutely beautiful,” he said, in low, affectionate tones that made Winter's pale cheeks turn red.

  She couldn't believe just how fast and hard she was falling for this man... She was beginning to grow very, very wet with arousal down below, so much so that she found herself squirming in her seat, trying not to let her sudden and obvious need for this man shine through. It was then, however, that she remembered the subzero temperatures of the winds blowing in from the see, and she did her damnedest to get a hold over herself for fear that her legs might end up freezing together.

  At last, after quite a bit of small talk and light flirtation, the two of them arrived at the restaurant that was their destination.

  “A gentleman always holds the door for a lady,” said Jim upon their arrival, escorting her inside, and she smiled as she passed him. Old-fashioned chivalry, and patronizing perhaps, but at the very least it was considerate, and once more she found herself questioning whether her initial knee-jerk reaction to her father's proposition might have been premature.

  The temperature inside the restaurant was considerably warmer than outside, with fires blazing hot and relaxing them both as they sat down across from one another. Jim, it seemed, had strategically chosen this place in particular for the view, as their table was located next to a window overlooking the sea below. Winter, having never seen the ocean, gazed in awe at the furious power of the waves below. It was worth all the chapped nipples in the world just to behold such an awe-inspiring spectacle as that...

  “Are you ready to order?” asked the waiter, interrupting Winter's reverie, and she realized that she hadn't yet stolen a single glance at the menu.

  “Yes, I think we'll start out with a bottle of your finest vintage grog, please. And, Winter, I can go ahead and order for the both of us if you'd like me to. I know what's good here.”

  “By all means,” she said, nodding politely, and in a moment the waiter had disappeared again, leaving the two of them to their conversation once more.

  “I love the scenery here,” she said, casting another quick glance out the window.

  “Me too,” said Jim, “But from where I'm sitting, I'm damn near sure I have the best view in the entire restaurant...”

  Winter's pale skin was turning scarlet again, and Jim smiled at this.

  “So, tell me about yourself,” he said.

  “Well,” she said, trying to think of how to start. “I've lived in West Westerado all my life, obviously. I'm an only child, so no siblings. But I always had the royal subjects to keep me entertained. Ummmm... I consider myself a feminist and a pacifist... And uh... Well, I guess I'm not sure what else to add,” she laughed. And then, as an afterthought, hurriedly tacked on, “Oh! And I love mu
sic!”

  “Really? Me too!” said Jim Slush, with perhaps a sprinkling of undue enthusiasm, given that nearly everyone on the gods' white earth liked music. Still, though, the two of them found themselves falling easily into conversation, talking and laughing and drinking with enthusiasm. As it turned out, Jim Slush, despite being royalty, was quite the accomplished warrior, and this, in turn, made him quite the storyteller. Winter struggled a bit, through the recounting of his adventures, with her own pacifistic nature. However, as far as she could tell from Jim's recounting of events, his conquests generally seemed noble and justified, and she listened to their telling with the fascination of a child listening to a bedtime story.

  Before long, the prospective couple's food arrived, everything smelling delicious, and tasting even better. The grog, too, became more and more appetizing as the two of them stuffed themselves silly. The food, Winter thought, had a distinct flavor compared to the dishes out west, but she found that she very much enjoyed this slight difference, and would need to remember a few of these recipes for later.

  As the two of them continued to laugh and to dine together, generally becoming quite well acquainted, Winter's heat for this studly gentleman sitting across from her grew to nearly unbearable proportions. Although the laws of propriety prevented her from doing any such thing, as she watched Jim Slush's beautiful lips moving and taking the shapes of his words, she felt as though she wanted nothing more in the world in that moment than to pin him down on top of the table and straddle him riding him hard until he got her moaning at the top of her lungs with pleasure.