Haunted Halloween 2011: Guest Post - Kristie Cook + A Giveaway!

I placed the last candle in Tristan’s birthday cake and turned to face Owen.

“So are you going to tell me where he is or not?” I demanded.

Owen shook his head. “You know he wants nothing to do with this day.”

“Yeah, yeah. He doesn’t like to be reminded of how old he is, which reminds him of his previous life. But I’m glad he’s here in my life now so—” I shut my mouth at the peculiar look Owen was giving me. “What?”

“That’s, uh, not the real reason he doesn’t like this day.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not just his birthday. It’s Halloween, too.”

I rolled my eyes. “I think I’ve brought him around to liking it.”

“I doubt it. Have you ever even spent his birthday with him?”

“Well…I didn’t know it was his birthday at the time. When we first started dating. But we did Halloween stuff together and he had fun.”

“But were you with him at midnight?”

I tried to think back. “It was a long time ago. I don’t remember the exact time he brought me home.”

“It had to have been early. Because at midnight…” Owen’s voice trailed off. His sapphire blue eyes lit up and his mouth twitched with excitement.

The anticipation was killing me. “What?”

 “Well…it’s not just Tristan’s birthday and it’s not just Halloween. This also happens to be the day—” He paused for effect. “—Jordan died.”

“Jordan? As in—”

“As in the Daemoni, the first of Tristan’s kind. And since Halloween’s when the veil between our world and the Otherworld is thinnest—”

“Wait. Do the Amadis believe in that?”

Owen shrugged. “I just know it seems to be true because that’s when…well…” He cleared his throat, again building up the suspense. “That’s when Jordan’s spirit takes possession of Tristan’s body so he can roam the earth again and search for his sister, if just for a few hours.”

I burst out laughing. “Ha! Nice spooky story, Owen. Now tell me where he is.”

“Alexis, I’m serious. And since you look so much like Cassandra, Jordan’s prey, you should probably stay far, far away from Tristan tonight.”

“Now that’s absurd. Fine. Be that way. I’ll find him myself.”

“Alexis, please—”

I didn’t hear his plea but I thought I heard a sigh of frustration just before I flashed. I came to the place where we’d all been just earlier this morning—an ancient stone house in the Greek countryside.  Tristan and Owen wanted to check it out, so I’d left them here to go back and make Tristan’s cake.  He hadn’t come home, so I thought he might still be here.

Darkness filled the dilapidated house, making it even spookier than earlier. Although in remarkable condition considering its age, the house was falling down. A breeze blew through holes where stones had crumbled away and through windows with no glass, ruffling my hair. I tried not to think of the cobwebs in the corners or of the spiders and other creatures that made this place home. Soft light briefly filled the room and I looked up through a hole in the roof to see the moon disappearing behind a thick cloud. The house went dark again.

Then lightning flashed and showed the silhouette of a large figure standing by the window. I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Tristan!” I hurried toward him.

But a strong gust of wind blew up around me and whipped my hair at my face. A raspy voice hissed, filling the air around me with “Caaaa-sssssannn-ddddrrrraaaa…”

I froze. The hairs all over my body stood on end and my heart raced. What the hell was going on? And then I remembered a stray bit of today’s conversation between Owen and Tristan—something about this being Jordan’s house. Son of a witch! How I had I missed that earlier?  The story of Jordan and Cassandra and the different paths they chose ran through my mind. We were right on Jordan and his witch’s old stomping grounds!

Was Owen serious? Was this the real reason Tristan had come here today? My whole body began to tremble.

“T-t-tristan?” I said again, my voice small and shaky now. I could barely make out the figure at the window but I sensed the movement as it turned. Lightning flashed again, illuminating his face. And although it looked very much like Tristan, the deep blue eyes and white-blond hair definitely weren’t his.

I opened my mouth to scream. The figure suddenly stood next to me, silencing me.

Lightning flashed. Tristan’s face right before me. Then Jordan’s. Hazel eyes. Blue. Beautiful face. Twisted with malice.

He wrapped his hands around my shoulders. I swung my arms and bucked my body. He tightened his grip on me, holding me still.

“Hello, little sister,” he whispered in my ear. Definitely not Tristan’s lovely voice. This one was sinister, full of horror and threats. “Nice of you to come play. I’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time.”

I closed my eyes and screamed.

No sound came out, though. My lids popped open and bright daylight blinded me. I gasped as I found myself on the couch at home. Owen and Tristan, standing in the kitchen holding plates full of birthday cake, turned to look at me.

“You slept through Halloween,” Tristan said. He held up his plate. “But thanks for the cake.”

“Bad dream?” Owen asked.

I nodded, still unable to speak. A sharp pain shot from the base of my neck to the front of my skull. I winced. They exchanged a glance and I remembered when I’d felt a similar pain—as though someone had jabbed around inside my brain while I slept. Another time I supposedly had a bad dream only to learn differently later.

“Um,” my voice came out roughly. I cleared my throat. “What happened last night?”

Tristan raised an eyebrow and studied me with hazel eyes. “We took Dorian trick-or-treating, came home and you passed out on the couch. You don’t remember?”

Dorian bounded into the room then. “You shouldn’t have eaten so much of my candy, Mom. It made you sick and probably gave you nightmares.”

I blinked, trying to clear the cobwebs from my mind. Of course. What else could it be? Tristan doesn’t really become possessed on Halloween. I peered at Tristan and he gave me my favorite grin. But something flashed in his eyes and not the usual gold sparkles. Was that a hint of blue or just my imagination?

 Happy Release Day Genesis!! And Happy early Birthday Tristan!

Genesis (Soul Savers 0.5) is a Prequale to the Soul Saver Series

Synopsis: A father who reveals his truth.
Twins who take different paths—one light, one dark.
Angels who have plans for them both
And Demons who do as well.
So the Earthly battle for souls ignites…

A tale that is over 2,000 years old, this is the story of the Amadis beginnings.

Order the Soul Savers Series Online:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Find Kristie Cook Online:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Also, DON'T forget to COMMENT! COMMENTS for this post will ALSO enter you into the GRAND PRIZE Giveaway that Kristie is hosting on top of all she's asking us to giveaway on our blogs. Want to know what you have a chance to win? Click >>>HERE<<< to check out all the rules and details!

Enter to win an eBook Copy of Genesis!!!

Rules and now to enter:

You must be at least 18 years old to enter.
To enter, please fill out the form provided below.
Giveaway open INTERNATIONAL!!!
Giveaway ends: November 11th, 2011

Don't forget to stop by and check out who Jessica is featuring today for Haunted Halloween!

REMINDER: *If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry.
Please ready full entry rules >>>HERE<<<

Kristie, you have out done yourself with this post! Thanks to Alexis, Tristan and Owen for sharing this spooky Halloween story with everyone. I know I can't wait to read their next book! And to those of you out there who haven't found or read the Soul Savers Series yet, you have NO idea what you're missing! So go out and start reading today! Also, a HUGE thank you Kristie for donating the eBook for this giveaway.

*I am not compensated at all for any of the links within this page.