Ghost Stories (manxman)

Chapter 1 - This Isn't You

 AN: Please note that this is the fourth book in a series proceeded in this order. 1) The Blue Sheep 2) Demon's Gate and 3) Big Bad Wolf. Enjoy in that order! 

Chapter 1 – This Isn't You

Knock. Knock. Knock. There it was, the knocking at his door. It was definitely not in Cooper's head. He sat up and looked across the stretch of wooden floor to his front door. The small studio apartment was nothing to brag about. On one side his queen-sized bed was stuffed into a corner; the other side was a couch with coffee table; along the wall with the door was the television and shelving. It was dark in the room, the only light filtering from the kitchen doorway. His windows were dark. Knock. Knock. Knock.

            His heart skipped a beat as he looked at the doorway. The past year Cooper had faced all kinds of monsters and any one of them could be standing outside the doorway: vampires, demons, werewolves, and telepaths just to name a few. One of those monsters took away the love of his life, another possessed his body, and one of them was watching over him. Knock. Knock. Knock. Whatever was on the other side of the doorway was persistent. Standing up his bare feet on the cold floor her approached the door. His hand on the knob, knock. Knock. Knock. He gulped and opened the door.

            A beautiful olive colored skinned girl with bright emerald green eyes stood in the doorway. Her curving feminine features and sharp gaze caught his attention. If Cooper wasn't gay, he would have been head over heals for this bathing beauty before him. But Cooper knew the woman in his doorway, she was dating one of his best friends. Soraya Nasir stood before him with a look of worry blanketing her face.

            "Soraya, what's up?" Cooper looked down the hallway, it was only her and it was very late. "Is everything all right?"

            "I don't think so, may I come in?" Soraya's voice was sweet but the stress could not be hidden in it. Cooper stepped aside and Soraya entered the apartment. Cooper flipped a light switch and his eyes winced a little. "I like your place." Soraya paused and eyed Cooper. "Cooper are you doing okay?"

            Cooper shifted on his feet not sure how to answer the question. Immediately he wanted to say not at all. He had lost the love of his life, his father, found his therapist dead in his bed, and so much more but he just gulped and responded, "I'm fine. What's up?" Cooper shut the door.

            "I needed to tell you. Ever since the séance I've been having these dream."  Soraya paced back and fourth. She was a medium, able to communicate with the dead. But she had some other sense about her, something that could feel supernatural movements. "Cooper, the spirits they keep trying to get me to tell you something."

            "You said you spoke to my father." Cooper sat on his bed, leaning back on his elbows.

            "Yes," Soraya stopped pacing and eyed Cooper up and down. She kept looking at him like he had something on his face, "beware the red eyes."

            "Well, I didn't, and it killed Tobalt," Cooper spat back thinking of his former boyfriend who was a werewolf and lost a dual with a stronger werewolf that had been stalking him. "So what more useless information do the spirits have for me!" Cooper stopped and covered his mouth. It wasn't like him to be so rude but he had been under a lot of stress lately.

            "I heard about that, Cooper I am so sorry." Soraya's fist clenched and she eyed Cooper up and down once more. She quickly walked out of the room and into the kitchen. Cooper was getting frustrated. She barged into his house with no warning at all. Standing up he followed her into the kitchen as Soraya quickly opened the cabinets. She pulled out a small cup and some rosemary. Quickly, Soraya put some Rosemary into the cup.