in stems and branches.
She itched to heal those plants, but the sudden withering
struck her as strange. She wanted it checked by someone who could detect the type
of energies within the plant.
Maybe she was being too cautious. On the other hand, maybe
not. After the weird letters and gifts sent to her, she didn’t want to take the
chance.
Chelsea would call as soon as she made sure that was the
only thing wrong. She headed into her house, passing through the living room
and into the dining room. One step into the room, she stopped. She stared at
the dining table. Her breath caught in her throat.
A wrapped gift sat on gleaming dark brown wood. A green
ribbon wrapped around the stark white box. An elegant bow perched on top of the
package.
Her stomach dropped. Nausea and dread rose. Not another
one. Fear sent a shiver skating down her spine. Someone had been inside her
house. Please let this be a surprise from her family or Alexander.
She backed out of the room. With shaking hands, she fished
her phone from her pocket. Although she suspected the mystery gift creep struck
again, she had to make sure. Her teeth worried her lower lip. She dialed Alex’s
number.
“Hi, Chels, did you get home from work alright? How are you
doing?” Alexander’s voice sounded cheerful. She could almost see him smiling as
he sat in his patrol car. He knew her schedule almost as well as she did.
“I got home alright. Did you leave a gift for me here?” Please
say you did. She waited.
Her nerves stretched taut. The moments plodded by as her
mind circled and worry gnawed at her. She grimaced and shuddered. Some strange
man broke into her house. He put his hands on her things.
He drew in a hissing breath. “No, I didn’t. Chelsea, I’m
sending someone there. I’m on a call or I’d come myself. Don’t touch it. Get
out of the house. Although the other gifts have been innocent enough, we don’t
know what this guy’s plans are.”
She backed out of the room and left the house, pausing to
grab her purse from the small end table where she’d dropped it. “Alright, I’m
outside. I thought he’d moved on. He didn’t leave anything at work or in my
car. I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about him. At least this week.”
She sighed and her shoulders slumped. The Chief and Alex
seemed certain the stalker was a male based on the directness of the letters.
The man wanted a relationship with her or perhaps believed they already had
one.
When she’d started dating Alexander, the letters had grown
more insistent. The messages became more demanding.
You will be mine. Don’t push me. Get rid of him. Those words had scared her.
She’d thought of ending her relationship with Alexander at
that time. For his safety. What would the stalker do if he thought someone
stood in his way?
Alexander wouldn’t hear of it. He’d been so angry. His face
had hardened as had his tone of voice. He’d insisted he could handle the
stalker. The hard set of his jaw and flat look in his eyes spoke of a history
with more than routine police work in the past.
She hadn’t been given time to think about it, though. The
Chief of Police agreed with Alex. He thought it could get them some information
about her stalker, that the man might make a mistake if he became furious over
Alexander being with her.
She waited at the edge of her yard. Her stomach clenched.
She rubbed her hands on her pants. Nervous energy pulsed through her making it
hard to stay still.
She looked at her house and licked her lips. What is in
that box? Another porcelain doll with black hair, maybe. A shudder ripped
down her spine. She hated those creepy, little things, but this present could
hold much worse.
Bomb or some sort of tainted spell. At least, a bomb could
be defused. A tainted spell would have to be triggered in some way. The person
behind this couldn’t be sane. Evil and insanity in an Aelfir resulted in a
taint to their magic.
Normally, Aelfir didn’t cast spells, but
She itched to heal those plants, but the sudden withering
struck her as strange. She wanted it checked by someone who could detect the type
of energies within the plant.
Maybe she was being too cautious. On the other hand, maybe
not. After the weird letters and gifts sent to her, she didn’t want to take the
chance.
Chelsea would call as soon as she made sure that was the
only thing wrong. She headed into her house, passing through the living room
and into the dining room. One step into the room, she stopped. She stared at
the dining table. Her breath caught in her throat.
A wrapped gift sat on gleaming dark brown wood. A green
ribbon wrapped around the stark white box. An elegant bow perched on top of the
package.
Her stomach dropped. Nausea and dread rose. Not another
one. Fear sent a shiver skating down her spine. Someone had been inside her
house. Please let this be a surprise from her family or Alexander.
She backed out of the room. With shaking hands, she fished
her phone from her pocket. Although she suspected the mystery gift creep struck
again, she had to make sure. Her teeth worried her lower lip. She dialed Alex’s
number.
“Hi, Chels, did you get home from work alright? How are you
doing?” Alexander’s voice sounded cheerful. She could almost see him smiling as
he sat in his patrol car. He knew her schedule almost as well as she did.
“I got home alright. Did you leave a gift for me here?” Please
say you did. She waited.
Her nerves stretched taut. The moments plodded by as her
mind circled and worry gnawed at her. She grimaced and shuddered. Some strange
man broke into her house. He put his hands on her things.
He drew in a hissing breath. “No, I didn’t. Chelsea, I’m
sending someone there. I’m on a call or I’d come myself. Don’t touch it. Get
out of the house. Although the other gifts have been innocent enough, we don’t
know what this guy’s plans are.”
She backed out of the room and left the house, pausing to
grab her purse from the small end table where she’d dropped it. “Alright, I’m
outside. I thought he’d moved on. He didn’t leave anything at work or in my
car. I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about him. At least this week.”
She sighed and her shoulders slumped. The Chief and Alex
seemed certain the stalker was a male based on the directness of the letters.
The man wanted a relationship with her or perhaps believed they already had
one.
When she’d started dating Alexander, the letters had grown
more insistent. The messages became more demanding.
You will be mine. Don’t push me. Get rid of him. Those words had scared her.
She’d thought of ending her relationship with Alexander at
that time. For his safety. What would the stalker do if he thought someone
stood in his way?
Alexander wouldn’t hear of it. He’d been so angry. His face
had hardened as had his tone of voice. He’d insisted he could handle the
stalker. The hard set of his jaw and flat look in his eyes spoke of a history
with more than routine police work in the past.
She hadn’t been given time to think about it, though. The
Chief of Police agreed with Alex. He thought it could get them some information
about her stalker, that the man might make a mistake if he became furious over
Alexander being with her.
She waited at the edge of her yard. Her stomach clenched.
She rubbed her hands on her pants. Nervous energy pulsed through her making it
hard to stay still.
She looked at her house and licked her lips. What is in
that box? Another porcelain doll with black hair, maybe. A shudder ripped
down her spine. She hated those creepy, little things, but this present could
hold much worse.
Bomb or some sort of tainted spell. At least, a bomb could
be defused. A tainted spell would have to be triggered in some way. The person
behind this couldn’t be sane. Evil and insanity in an Aelfir resulted in a
taint to their magic.
Normally, Aelfir didn’t cast spells, but
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