Tangled Bliss (2 page)

Those three officers ran out of her home moments after they
entered. When she saw them exit that way, she expected something dramatic. An
explosion perhaps.

Her heart raced. Fear ramped to a higher level. Nothing
happened. At least that she could see.

The three men’s faces scrunched. One pulled his uniform
shirt away from his body. His head dropped to sniff it.
What the…
As
they approached, a whiff of noxious odor, worse than a skunk, drifted in the
open, front, passenger window.

Oh, hell.
She put her hand up to her nose to try to
block the smell. No wonder they looked ready to gag. Her throat tightened and
her stomach clenched and pitched. The odor increased with every step they took.

“I’ll take you to the station. We’ll send a clean-up team
back to help them and clear your house. I think the Chief will want to talk to
you about this.” The fourth officer leaned down to speak to her before making
his way around the vehicle.

***

Alexander paused outside the white door to the room where Chelsea
waited. The hallway was quiet for once. The smell of burnt coffee permeated the
hallway. Today, that familiar odor didn’t make him feel excited and ready to
go.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He couldn’t
show her the furious anger rolling through him. That fucking bastard had broken
into her house. He’d placed a damn spell trap that made the entire house
uninhabitable once it triggered.

This incident definitely increased the seriousness of the
stalking. The dolls and notes had shown persistence. The notes had become more
demanding. This attempt indicated a frightening escalation. Gallagher hadn’t
told him much beyond that the spelled object was meant to coat anyone near the
box and the entire room, but it put him on alert.

Chelsea’s stalker had gone over the edge. Alex had hunted
tainted Aelfir, human, and other paranormal rogue beings. This man wouldn’t
back down again. The stalker had access to such magic, but using it to harm
perverted the power. Aelfir magic created, nurtured or transformed.

A male had performed the spell. That fact was clear in the
feel of the magic. Even more than that, the way he used his abilities indicated
he was one of them.

Chelsea would have a hard time accepting it. She didn’t want
to believe that someone from their small city would do that. She also held onto
the thought that the stalker would go away. Those hopes weren’t likely, not
with the persistence the man had shown.

Outsiders didn’t come to Alden Glen often by chance. They
did get tourists passing through. The artisan businesses drew those looking for
something unique. There were also a few yearly festivals held here. People
didn’t tend to stay long, though.

A spell protected the city. While it didn’t bar visitors
from entering, it could be disorienting to those who meant harm to someone in
the town. The magic also messed with any electronic equipment not modified for
this location. Alex hadn’t pointed out that she seldom left Alden Glen nor have
much contact with those outside the city. She didn’t want to see that evil
could live so close to home.

A hand on his shoulder startled him. He reached for the
Aelfir honed dagger that he wore at his waist. Almost all of the officers
carried one. A good number of the officers on the force were ex-Hunters.

The blade wasn’t there. He’d taken it off when he came into
the station. He looked over his shoulder and saw the Chief of Police, Gallagher
Stark. Gallagher’s hand tightened, offering a little reassurance.

“Take a few deep breaths and then get in there. She needs
you.” Gallagher looked at the door. “Even after he broke into her car, she
wasn’t prepared for this.”

“I knew she wouldn’t be. She didn’t think he’d go this far.”
Alex sighed and shook his head.

No one had been able to come up with a reason for the stalking.
Her ex-boyfriend had married. Based on his location during a few of the
incidents, he’d been cleared.

Alex straightened and squared his shoulders. As much as he’d
like to drive his fist into the nearest wall, he had to control himself.
Gallagher was right. He should be with Chelsea. She needed support, comfort and
to know she wasn’t alone. In truth, he had to see her. Ever since he’d gotten
her call, he’d been worried and going a little crazy inside.

He hadn’t wanted the Hunter side of his life to touch her,
ever, but if it could keep her safe, he’d use it. The stalker wasn’t getting a
warning.

Chapter Two

Chelsea leaned forward in the chair and ran her hands
through her hair.
Goddess, this was such a mess. Where am I supposed to go?
She couldn’t go back to her house.

It would take days to get that smell out even with someone
using their gifts to help her. She didn’t understand this. Why would someone
she didn’t even know be mad enough at her to do something like that?

She didn’t have a long string of exes. She’d dated only
Alexander in recent months. Her relationships tended to be longer, because she
always intended to build something lasting. She didn’t date and walk away.
After a break up, she took a little time before starting another.

Who is targeting me?
This last surprise was set with
Aelfir powers. It was so different from the other things she’d been sent. She
didn’t doubt that it was intended for her.

The person had to be someone from the area. A lump formed in
her throat. She tried to remember any incident with someone that seemed off,
but couldn’t come up with anything. Fear rose.

Someone had fixated on her. She had no idea who it was. That
thought scared her almost as much as wondering what he’d do next. How could she
miss someone watching her?

The slight click of the doorknob turning drew her attention.
The door to the white walled interview room opened once again. She bit her lip
and almost held her breath. Her nerves stretched taut.

She’d been alone for a while. The isolation hadn’t helped her
calm down. The time and fear set her thoughts spinning. She wished someone had
been with her. Her mind whirled with what if’s and why’s.

What if she’d touched that thing?
What if one of her
family had moved it to put something else there?
They sometimes popped over
to see her and had a key.

When the door swung fully open, she saw Alex. He strode
straight over to her. Her shoulders slumped. Relief washed through her. In that
moment, he’d never looked better. His stress showed, though.

Part of his hair hung near his collar, obviously tugged from
the band. The light blue shirt of the police uniform clung to his shoulders,
highlighting the tension in his muscles.

She stood and practically jumped at him. His arms wrapped
around her. He pulled her so tight against him she almost lost her breath.
She’d never been so happy to see someone.

Her arms tightened around him. She wanted to stay right
here. His warmth and strength soothed her frazzled nerves. She leaned into him
and breathed in his woodsy scent. She needed this.

“Are you alright?” Alex’s arms tightened.

“Yes, just a little scared. I could be around this person
every day and still have no clue who is stalking me.” Chelsea leaned back to
look up at him.

“We’ll find out who he is, baby. You don’t need to worry
about that.”  Alex guided her back over to the chair.

“But where will I stay? They say my house is uninhabitable.
I can’t bring trouble to my parents or my sister or brother.”  She sat and her
shoulders slumped.

“Baby, you’ll stay with me. You know we’re heading toward
living together anyway.” Alex pulled a chair over beside hers.

“No, we aren’t. Not as the relationship is now.” She shook
her head. She didn’t want to get into this. After the day she’d had, she didn’t
want to fight with the man who offered such comfort to her.

He frowned.  “And what’s wrong with our relationship?”

“I know only a little more about you now than I did when I
first met you. There are parts of your life that you refuse to talk about. That
doesn’t make me confident in our relationship.” She sighed. Her shoulders
slumped.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Baby, there are
things I don’t want to talk about. Not because I’m hiding them from you. That
life is over. I don’t want it to be a part of this one.”

“You can’t separate it. It’s not as if it was an actual past
life. It’s part of your history. While the specifics are unimportant, you can’t
ignore those years.” She threw up her hands.

“I’ll tell you, but I wanted you to get to know me first.”
He leaned forward.

“That doesn’t matter at the moment. If I don’t want to bring
trouble to my family, do you think I want to dump it on you?” She shook her
head. As much as his offer touched her, she didn’t want him to become a target
of this bastard. She had no idea what this stalker would do if she moved in
with Alex.

“Chelsea, even if you moved into an apartment, you wouldn’t
go alone. I’m not letting you face this on your own. You might not be certain
of where our relationship is headed, but I am. This is a commitment for me.”
Alexander took her hand.

She looked at him and knew by the stubborn look on his face
that he wouldn’t budge. Although his insistence frustrated her, she welcomed
the concern. It made her feel less alone.

“We don’t even know what we’re facing, except someone who’s
obsessed. You haven’t had time to think about this.” She shook her head. Even
if he thought about it overnight, he wouldn’t change his mind. He’d set himself
up as her protector.

“Whoever this is and whatever his goal is, he won’t succeed.
I promise you that.” He framed her face and looked into her eyes.

The man spoke now, not the police officer. The sheer
determination in his brown eyes seared her. She hadn’t ever seen that much
emotion from him before. He’d always been a little closed off.

“I’ll take you home, my home. Your sister is getting you
some clothes from a store, because you can’t wear what’s in your house. You
don’t need to worry about anything tonight. It’s all taken care of, including
dinner.”  Alex eased back and once again took her hands.

She didn’t doubt that. They had a date and Alex had said he
would cook for her. That part of the plan didn’t have to change. She wouldn’t
mind a little normalcy. Something to get her mind off the incident at her home.

“Ready to go? I’ve got the rest of the day off.” Alex rose
to his feet. He hadn’t let go of her hands, but made no move to pull her from
the chair.

Her mind went to the ways they could enjoy the afternoon and
keep her mind off of what had happened. She’d love to spend the rest of the day
wrapped in his arms, enjoying the pleasure he could give.

She rose to her feet. Even if he’d offered to take her home
so they could talk, she would have gone. She was so tired of this interview
room and its torturous chairs. Stress and fear beat at her.

A thousand questions ran through her head. Most of them
centered on the stalker. Now that Alex had arrived and decided he would be with
her wherever she went, she worried about him, too. She needed some time without
thinking. Maybe when they arrived at his home, she’d seduce him.

“I’m ready. What about my car? It’s still at my house.”  She
tugged at his hand to stop him when he began to urge her out of the room.

“It will stay where it is. You won’t be going anywhere on
your own. If I don’t take you or pick you up, someone else will. This man has
taken his stalking to another level. We didn’t believe he was harmless from the
first letter, but now it’s too dangerous for you to be alone.” Alex looked over
at her and narrowed his eyes almost as if he couldn’t believe that she asked
that.

“I don’t think that’s necessary.” She shook her head.

Alex’s protective instincts had hit a new high. Nothing had
ever happened to her while she was in the car. Sure the stalker had gotten into
her vehicle and stolen a few things, but she’d been out working in the field
when it happened. He hadn’t touched it since then though.

“You think you’re safe there, but we don’t know how long it
will be before he decides to try to get to you. He won’t get to you if you’re
always with someone.” Alex raised a brow.

“And how long is this supposed to continue? There’s no
guarantee that he’ll even make another move. What will you to do if this goes
on for months?” She frowned at him.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, but at least if
it does take that long, you’ll have time to get to know whatever it is you want
to learn about me.” He shrugged. “Now, we’re going home.”

He led her out of the room so fast she barely had time to
grab her purse of the table. She left the station with him and climbed into his
truck. Although, normally, she’d prefer to walk, she needed the security of
something solid around her. Fear and uncertainty still thrummed too strongly
within her to relax and enjoy the walk.

Alex lived within the heart of the city in a home he’d
bought from a family who moved to another Aelfir city. Although some families
tended to stay in one city for generations, others answered the call for aid.
In that case, a specific talent, a land healer, was needed within the other
city. Alden Glen had more than enough land healers here to spare one young
family.

He pulled up in front of his house, a large, white two story
with blue trim and roof. Her eyes locked on the front porch and the swing
there. So gorgeous. The first time he’d brought her here she’d imagined sitting
there with Alex, sipping on a drink.

She loved the big yard, both front and back, but the space
called out for a garden. She itched to put some color along the fence and the
front of the house. The thick green grass beckoned her to walk barefoot, but
his home needed more than that. Flowers, bushes, and plants. Every time she
came over here, she fought the urge to mention it. Her Aelfir ability linked
her to plants, but this was his place.

“Come on, Chelsea. Let’s get you inside.” Alex opened her
car door.

She’d been so lost in her thoughts about his yard that she
hadn’t even realized he’d gotten out of the car. With a sigh, she turned and
let him help her out of the car. She strolled along the path to the side
entrance along with Alex. The side entrance opened into his large kitchen.

She’d dreamed of kitchen like this. Dark gray granite topped
the counters. What really made her envious though was the cabinet space. All
those gorgeous light oak cupboards and she knew for a fact most of them were
empty.

He locked the door behind them. She continued pacing
forward. Alex snagged her wrist before she moved out of reach. She glanced back
at him. His eyes glittered with hunger and tension.

His hand tightened. He tugged her close. She stepped
willingly up to him. His arms wrapped around her, strong and secure. She leaned
into him and savored the solid press of his body. With a sigh, she relaxed into
the sanctuary offered in his embrace.

He held her tight against him for a moment, before he lifted
her off her feet and kissed her. One of his arms slipped under her ass, holding
her up as his other hand skimmed up and down her back.

Her mouth opened to the thrust of his tongue against her
lips. She delighted in the touch. Her body heated. She wanted him right here.