The Royal Elite: Mattias (4 page)

Rather than eyeball the ancient bowl or whatever she was ogling, Mattias slanted a look down at Alannah's face. She was more animated than he'd seen her yet. Even the shyness and socially awkward tendencies slipped away under her enthusiasm and knowledge. For the next forty minutes she lectured him on this piece and that piece, correctly identifying nearly every one. Mattias wouldn't have known except for placards on the front of the case that explained each item in detail. He was more aware of her fingers clutching his arm and the scent of her hair, which reminded him of peaches and vanilla and something cleaner, reminiscent of an expensive salon.

Either way it allowed him to remain in her company, keep an eye on her while Ahsan and Leander checked with their contacts. Her bodyguard lurked just inside the doorway, ever present.

Just as Mattias was about to suggest another round of wine, the lights in the manor went out.

Alannah froze in her tracks, darting a glance up from the dark case to the Prince's face. A face she could barely see in the gloom. The only available light spilled in through two tall windows, and as her eyes slowly adjusted to the change, she became aware of the tension in the muscles under her fingers and the way Mattias clenched his jaw.

Thunder cracked through the sky, as if declaring victory over the power grid.

“What should we do?” Alannah asked, keeping her voice low. She didn't want to alert the bodyguard and lure him over unintentionally. He annoyed her on every level—but then so did being here at the manor, with all the fluff and testosterone crammed between the four walls. She loathed social gatherings and loathed trying to mingle with women who preferred to size her (and her wallet) up and either discard her or figure out how to use her. The sham everyone here engaged in, this gathering of the elite, was laughable at best. Alannah could think of a
hundred
things she'd rather be doing. The saving grace were the artifacts that had been doused into darkness along with everything else.

“Give it a second,” Mattias said with his distinct accent, “and see if the power comes back on. Usually it's only a few minutes.”

“All right. Tell me, what did you think of the collection?” Alannah asked, getting back to business. There was always the hope that Prince Mattias, despite his social standing and position, had a little more knowledge and pluck than the others.

“I thought it was...extensive,” Mattias replied.

Alannah breathed a disappointed sigh. That wasn't the answer she hoped for. After all the information she'd shared with him, too.

“Yes, it's very extensive all right.” She could have elaborated on so many other aspects, but she didn't. Why waste her time when Mattias was clearly one of
those
men, here for the skirts, the drinks and those secretive shows behind closed doors.

When he moved to her other side, the slide of his hand low along her back guided her to remain in place. Mattias repositioned himself between her and the door, tucking the fingers of her other hand under his elbow again.

Alannah wondered at the strange change of places and decided not to ask. Maybe he liked the view down her shirt from that angle better than the other. She tugged at the top, though nothing indecent was showing.

“Was I supposed to memorize every object?” Mattias asked, as if he could read her mind.

Alannah twitched in surprise. “What? Of course not.”

“Then why do you seem disappointed in my answer?”

“I'm not disa—disappointed. Not at all. I merely wondered what you thought.” Caught off guard by his astuteness, Alannah reconsidered her initial opinion of the Prince as a man wholly distracted by the desire to bed as many women as he could. Feeling his stare, she glanced up again. There was just enough light to make out the knowing gleam in his dark eyes, the disbelieving curve of a smile at the corners of his handsome mouth. Sure enough, the Prince thought she was lying.

In the ballroom, some distance away, Alannah heard an employee raising his voice to announce that they were working feverishly to resume power. At the same time, thunder shook the walls of the manor, as if the home were a great, chuckling beast.

“You're not a very good liar, Miss Astbury,” Mattias said.

“And if I didn't know better, I would say you've taken up a very protective stance between myself and the door,” she said, hoping to distract him. Rewarded with Mattias's gaze seeming to sharpen and narrow, she arched a brow, daring him to refute it.

“One never knows what dangers lurk in the darkness.”

“With all the security here, I wouldn't think we need worry about danger,” she countered. Uneasy about his declaration, Alannah held his gaze.

“You of all people should know better,” he said. His voice carried a chiding tone. “Few places are truly safe for those of our stature.”

“You
do
realize that I'm now suspicious of you standing so near.”

He smirked, which amused Alannah more than it should have. When he tilted his head close to her ear, she caught the heady scent of his cologne and the even headier scent that was purely Mattias.

“Do you feel I'm a threat to you, Miss Astbury?” he said, voice a crooning whisper.

A spike of lust shot straight from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. It was the silky timbre of his accent, the way he phrased his words. As if the question were far more carnal than what it appeared on the surface. Bewildered by her reaction to him, she tightened her fingers on his elbow and sought to untangle the knot of words on her tongue.

“Not in the slightest. You're clearly as harmless as a kitten.” What a lie. Alannah had the distinct impression that Prince Mattias could hold his own in any situation. Even a deadly one. She slanted a look up his cheek to his eyes. There was just enough residual light to see the amused gleam in his gaze.

“Miss Astbury, allow me to escort you back to your room,” the bodyguard said, interrupting the mesmerizing moment. He closed the distance with quick strides.

Alannah swore she felt Mattias tense beneath her fingertips when he straightened his posture. Curious thing, that. Did he truly trust no one? She vaguely recalled hearing about trouble in his corner of the world, something about an attack from within their own sibling ranks. Alannah paid scant attention to the troubles and tribulations of the upper echelon; she was too busy studying histories and mysteries of the world to bother.

“Actually, his Highness was about to do so,” Alannah said, offering Mattias's services without asking.

“Of course,” Mattias said, going along with the plan.

Alannah wasn't sure what to think of his easy agreement. Was he such a paranoid man, then, that he really thought danger might lurk even here, behind these intensely guarded walls?

Turning with Mattias when he guided her away from the collection, Alannah matched his stride toward the doors. She gave her bodyguard, a man known as Barrett, a side glance when they passed. With that glance, she conveyed her wish for him to trail at a discreet distance, meaning she wanted a modicum of privacy.

Prince Mattias might not be a man obsessed with artifacts and mysteries, but
he
was proving to be a mild mystery himself. It was enough to warrant deeper exploration, and the only way she could do that was to remain in his presence.

“So. Let us revisit the collection and I'll explain, in detail, what makes each piece so interesting,” she said, deciding to school the Prince on the way to her room.

She heard him exhale, possibly in resignation, and smiled.

As much as it pained him, Mattias took the long way back to Alannah's suite. He endured her prattling about this artifact and that one, about its origins, its myths, and where the piece ranked on her overall list of favorites. Every now and then he found himself charmed by her animated expressions and gestures of a hand. This woman was far removed from the socially awkward one present in the great ballroom earlier in the evening.

Mattias could understand, however, why she was not sought after like some of the women were. Many of the men wanted a paragon of beauty on their arm who reeked confidence and control, rather than a nervous, fluttery gazelle that didn't like to make eye contact until absolutely necessary. Side by side, Katrina and Alannah were worlds apart on almost every level, though they did share one trait: both were achingly beautiful. Katrina wouldn't be caught dead discussing the things Alannah could talk about for days, and Alannah would probably grow bored comparing the latest designs and fashions.

Arriving at Alannah's door, Mattias decided he needed to remain in Alannah's presence a while longer. The lights were still out, a fact that put him on edge. It would be the perfect time for a hit man to strike, using the cover of darkness and confusion to move about the halls all but undetected. That meant he needed to get her to invite him inside.

“Well, I've enjoyed seeing the artifacts and hearing about them, Miss Ast--”

“You've been bored off your rocker,” Alannah interrupted. “I mean, I could tell a few things sparked your interest, but overall, on a grand scale, you were pretty distracted.”

If she only knew, Mattias thought. He saw a way to extend his time with her, and gestured toward her door with a hand. “I'll tell you what. Should you win at a game of chess, I'll memorize five artifacts from the collection, right down to the finest detail.”

Alannah arched a sleek brow. “And if you win?”

He should have said that she drink with him, which would make it easier to watch over her when she passed out. Instead, mischief took hold. “Then you accompany me to the private masquerade tomorrow evening.”

“You mean the one where the stage dancers will be half nude?” Alannah looked scandalized.

“I don't think it's as blunt as all that,” Mattias countered. He knew Morano ran a class act. The dancers would likely be very scantily clad, or in something sheer, but not all out nude. Not in the beginning, at least.

“The stories of what goes on behind closed doors are legendary,” Alannah said.

“And I'm sure some of them are true. I think Morano likes to build the suspense more than anything. Those who connect and sneak off for a tryst were likely to do it whether they were attending the masque or sitting at dinner, flirting across the table.” In all truth, Mattias knew scandalous things
did
go on both at the private parties and afterward. It was a major lure for the wealthy, to attend and perhaps even participate in a show. All he wanted was to commandeer Alannah's attention for the next few days until the men in his group discerned whether the heiress was in serious danger or not. If there
was
a threat, they would deal with it then.

Alannah eyed him. “I'll tell you what. You're on. If you win, I'll go with you to the masquerade. And if I win, you invest yourself wholly in five artifacts of my choosing.
But,
” she added with a sly note entering her voice. “We don't play in my room. We use the human sized 'board' near the garden. I've heard all about it. The pieces are as tall as we are.”

“...it's raining.” Mattias knew most debutantes wouldn't dream of standing in the rain, playing a game of oversized chess.

“Will you melt?” Alannah asked with a bird-like tilt of her head.

Mattias barked a low laugh. “Garden chess it is. You're not wearing that, are you?” he asked of her expensive looking dress.

“It's just material. Yes, I'm wearing it.”

Mattias didn't point out that the white, halter style top would become see through once it was thoroughly drenched. Maybe
she
knew, too, and just didn't care. A shocking thought considering her apparent shyness. It put them at greater risk to be outdoors in weather like this, a fact he didn't dwell on while he offered his elbow once more.

If she wanted to play outdoors in the rain, then so be it.

Drenched to his skin, Mattias peeled away the outer tuxedo coat and draped it over a nearby bench. Turning back to the enormous 'chess board' made of pale and dark gray slabs of stone, he flipped the sleeves of his white shirt to his elbows and eyed Alannah—or Alannah's shoulder, since that's all he could see—past the carved knights, pawns, rooks, and other pieces that separated them. Almost as tall as he was, the chess pieces were made of a moderately heavy material but were easily pushed from one square to another thanks to hidden wheels in the base. Surrounded by waist high hedges, with benches to the sides of the board, the chess set looked eerie in the gloom. If Mattias hadn't known better, he might have thought at first glance that the pieces were tombstone monuments scattered throughout a square graveyard.

Not far, the dark outline of House Morano rose against the night. Flickering candles had been placed in windows, on the balconies and near the doors, providing Mattias with exit and entrance points he might have otherwise missed. He could only imagine what was going on inside during the blackout. The guests were likely taking advantage of the situation, reveling in the added mystique.

Lightning blitzed the sky, casting a brief flash over the landscape.

Stepping back into the maze on the board, Mattias glided between the pieces, tantalized with the cat and mouse element of the game. He caught glimpses of Alannah's wet hair, the damp material of her white shirt, the angle of her chin. It was harder to see her eyes in the downpour and the darkness.

More competitive than he imagined, she'd taken the upper hand once or twice until he wrested it away from her again. Impressed with how cunningly she played, and how dismissive she was of the bad weather, Mattias pushed his next piece sideways, closer to her queen. Closer to
her.

“Oh no you don't,” Alannah teased, outmaneuvering him with her next move. The white of her smile flickered to life, there and gone in a heartbeat.

Mattias laughed, enjoying the unexpected sensuality he detected in her voice. She was so different from the withdrawn, fidgety woman on the balcony that Mattias briefly wondered if it was all part of her grand plan. Lure the unwary in with discreet glances and a shy tuck of her chin, then take on a siren's traits once she had a man alone. He didn't know her well enough to decide whether he was falling prey to her game, or she to his. Without the bodyguard lurking close by, it allowed them to be more open and animated than they might have been otherwise.