Path Finding

The fresh scent of grounded coffee beans intermingled with the muggy scent of the downpour this morning had blessed me with. I flipped another page from 1984 by George Orwell. Not my usual cup of tea, but an employee of mine needed help deciphering the conceptual and extensive meanings for her daughter. She knew I was an avid reader, not of political ideologies or "science fiction" as 1984 was deemed, but of supernatural romance. I knew that at 26 it made no sense to dive into such a category of the fantastical, but something about them always made me feel warm and fuzzy. The hanging doorbell rang and in walked Elizabeth, my employee. I looked up and said, "Good morning, Beth. How's that teenaged daughter of yours doing today?" Beth sighed so deep I thought she was going to run out of breath and faint. She had a rough morning, I can tell. She looked older 60 that morning when she was only 40. "I don't know what to do with her! She wants to wear mini skirts and crop tops to school!" Beth complained. "She hasn't even begun reading the book! Thank God for you Serene, you're a life savior." she continued. I chuckled. "Thanks, love. Let's go ahead and get the day started. I'm sure we will have a couple of early birds today." I stated. It was five in the morning and the 6am crowd was always the worst, especially on a Monday. I have owned this coffee shop at the corner of BellRing and Crow Street for a year now and it was the simple lifestyle I had always dreamed of. On the second floor was the bookstore and on the third floor was my primary residence. "I don't know how you did it at such a young age, but you must be incredibly smart to own your own business" mentioned Beth while preparing the tables with lavender. I always loved the smell of lavender and the purple hue added to the quaint black and white decor of the coffee shop. The white table and black chairs corresponded to the white marble tops of the coffee station and the black cabinets, while only the floor with its dark wood flooring contrasted the main color scheme. "Work hard and study hard." I answered. It was more than that, since life had handed me nothing from the beginning. "That can't be all." stated Beth with a c**k of her head. The hanging doorbell rang. It was 6am and the crowd rushed in. Thankfully, leaving the conversation behind and focusing on the task at hand. Beth may have only been working with me for 6 months, but she had a way of knowing my inner thoughts. She had a gut feeling that there was more to me and my business and there was. I was never the type to discuss the fact that I was left at an orphanage at three months old and fought my way through the system until I turned 18. It's not exactly a happy conversation, and I wasn't one to dampen the mood, even if the weather had other ideas. The downpour turned into a thunderstorm. Soon enough, the coffee shop was packed with those seeking shelter and a warm drink. I catered to tea drinkers and had a few small sandwiches for small meals. There was a stream of water flowing down the street and around the corner of my coffee shop. It was 3pm and the rain was not letting up. Beth was finishing up some last orders and I proceeded to make my way up the midnight black spiral staircase to the bookstore to make sure there were no customers left. The hanging doorbell rang. The smell of crackling firewood filled my nostrils. I always had a stronger sense of smell than others. I turned around and my coffee-colored eyes scanned for the source. He was straight out of a vampire fantasy novel. A black knee-length jacket perched on his broad shoulders. A blood red blazer with a long white sleeve button down, black pants and dress shoes to match the blazer. Porcelain skin, black hair elegantly glued back, and deep blue ocean eyes. This man screamed vampire s*x appeal and my eyes couldn't unglue themselves from the fantasy in front of me. "Serene, are you alright dear?" questioned a confused Beth. I regained my mind but not my feet, and next thing I knew I was sliding down the stairs in a nonelegant way. STRANGERS POV I enjoyed thunderstorms and the dreary atmosphere they always brought. It had been quite a while since I had made it into the town and not much had changed in the last two years, nothing except this three-story building that smelled of coffee and lavender. The sign read "Serene's Coffee and Bookstore". It had a straightforward and refreshing style. I ducked to avoid the hanging doorbell as I opened the mahongany door. It looked like they were closing up the shop and I felt inclined to walk back out. I heard a thump and looked up to see a pear-shaped goddess with auburn hair down the top of her hips, slip down the wet stairs. Without a second thought, I walked over to check on her. "Serene, are you alright dear?" asked a petite plump woman with hints of gray in her toffee brown hair. So her name was Serene. "Madam, are you hurt?" I asked. She looked up at me with coffee-colored eyes and it felt like she was seeing right through me. Chills crept up my skin. I was both afraid and excited of this woman, but it did not show on my face. Fighting through the goosebumps, I offered her my right hand. "I'm alright. Thank you, sir." she replied as she took my hands in hers. Electricity shot through my body. Enough voltage to put a man like me on his knees, but I fought through it. This woman was special. She slanted her head as she noticed the slight jolt like movement I made as I grabbed her hand. "Call me Rowan" I stated. "Thank you, Rowan. May I get you a coffee or book for the evening?" she said, composing herself. "If you wouldn't mind. May I get a black coffee with a shot of vanilla cream?" I asked. She nodded and walked over to the coffee station. My eyes looked her up and down, savoring every possible curve and that volumptious behind as she walked over. The older lady noticed my eyes trailing her coworker's body, smirked and walked over to the coffee station. I went ahead and found a table and took in the sounds of running rain and the smell of fresh coffee. SERENE POV My mind was all over the place. My behind was in pain and this man sent tingles down to my very inner soul. He was different. There was a certain fever his touch gave me. A fever I had never felt. My book reading mind was creating all sorts of scenarios and different bed positions to try with this man as he helped me up. I somehow managed to compose myself and proceed to take his order. Every other customer had left for the day and Beth had put the closed sign on the door to avoid any more late-comers. She checked the bookstore and organized some of the shelves, leaving me and Rowan on the first floor. I looked out of the windows on the right side of the shop. The downpour had not stopped. The coffee was complete and I walked it over to Rowan. "Thank you." he said with a small smile. I walked back over to the coffee station and grabbed a small chocolate croissant. I watched him as he leaned back on the chair and crossed his right leg over his left elegantly and picturesque. Was there anything this man did that wasn't beautiful? I shyly watched him from afar, contemplating whether to join him. I made up my mind and courage and walked over. "Would you mind some company?" I asked. He seemed surprised by my question but nodded. "Are you from around here?" I questioned. I'd been in the area for about two years now and had never seen him. "No. I live a few miles into the country. You?" "I moved here about two years ago and opened up this coffee shop last year." "Did this beautiful weather bring you here?" I chuckled. "Not at all. I wanted something simple in my life, away from the distractions of city life and people." He took a sip of coffee. Those lips. I couldn't keep my mind at ease with the vampire romance novels I had recently read. "I also avoid the city lifestyle. I only go into the cities for important meetings." A businessman. "What do you do? If you don't mind me asking," "I own a few major hospitals here and there. Before that, I was a trauma surgeon." "Oh." "You look familiar. Have we met before?" he asked while looking straight into my eyes. His eyes flashed red and I froze. ROWAN POV ADULT THEMES HINTED (TRIGGER WARNING) I looked into her eyes and flashed my mind control. She froze. I know she looked familiar but she didn't seem to remember me. I looked into her memory and there I was, in my surgeon era. It was 3am on a Sunday night. Usually a slow night for trauma surgeons. Flashback "Doctor Rowan, Doctor Rowan to the emergency department please. Paging Doctor Rowan. To the emergency room please" the intercom announced. I was in the break room having a horrible cup of coffee and one of the nurses was getting a little too friendly with me so, as horrible as it seemed, I was overjoyed to be called away. I briskly walked and saw two main patients, an older male with a knife lodged in his skull and a young girl of about 13 with intense bleeding between her legs. The sweet smell of her blood intoxicated me. Dizziness overtook me and I almost lost full control. After almost five centuries of being "alive", I have never lost control and working in this field has taught me great resilience. This girl smelled sweet like vanilla and my mouth watered, but something told me at that moment that the man had done something irreparable to this young lady and I shook away the rage and desire to murder or let him die. At that moment, I had to be a doctor no matter what. I did have a choice of who I wanted to treat first and none would be capable of opposing me. The girl was unconscious, barely breathing, but beautiful nonetheless. With auburn hair and a growing young woman's body, I washed away the feeling that all my senses gave me. She was meant for me. I had waited this long for my beloved one and here she was dying. I decided to do something vampires were banned from doing, use our blood to heal without turning. As my teeth materialized longer and sharper, I bit into my wrist and and punctured just enough for a small trickle of blood to enter the young girl's mouth. She began to twist and turn in agony. The blood was working. I released Serene from mind control. "This coffee is wonderful. This might be my favorite spot from now on." I stated. It took Serene a bit to regain herself, but once she did, she tucked away her hair behind her ears and smiled. "Thank you" her sweet voice replied as a small smile formed on her plump delicious lips. SERENE POV For some reason this man both excited me and made me feel safe and protected. I knew nothing of this man except his taste and coffee and his amazing scent. Beth took care of the bill and cleaned off the last used table. I went up the spiral staircase and went straight to the fantasy section of my bookstore. I grabbed a velvet colored book, a recent vampire favorite of mine. I headed up another flight of stairs, placed the book on my nightstand and headed for a shower. Beth closed up the shop and went home to deal with her daughter and the teenage drama. I took a steaming hot shower. I cleaned up the fogged up mirror and behind me I saw Rowan. I yelped and turned around but there was none there. I must be exhausted enough from the day to start seeing things. It was well over 7pm and I hadn't had a decent meal all day. I went to the fridge and grabbed a peanut butter protein shake. It was too late to start cooking and I could read while drinking the shake. I placed the glass cup of protein shake on the nightstand and grabbed the velvet book. One hour into reading, I slowly drifted off to sleep. I woke up having cold sweats. I looked at the clock next to the 65 inch tv on the opposite side of my room. 5am. Another nightmare of that time. I got up. The sun was rising, so I decided a run would be good for a run. I donned black sports leggings with side pockets and a simple white tshirt and black and white Nike's. I passed by the first floor and made a fresh cup of latte and placed it in a-to-go cup. I grabbed my Harley-Davidson Street 750 and drove to the vast forest that governed the edge of the town. There was a cool humid breeze flowing through my hair and against my skin the entire ride. I didn't wear a helmet since it was only a 20 minute drive and the police weren't an ordinary sight in this area. To be honest, I haven't seen a cop in the two years I lived in this town. I approached the parking lot of the hiking trail. Parked my roaring ride. Stretched a bit and began my light jog. The path was clear. I placed my ear buds on and ran for 10 minutes and then stopped for a few seconds, counting my breath and checking the time. I had already messaged Beth if she could handle the store today. At the intersection of my music changing I heard a shrill scream off the path. On a normal day, I wouldn't have even thought about running towards the sound, but something inside of me compelled me to see what I could find in the end. I paused. My eyes widened at seeing two humongous black wolves with dark green eyes on top of what seemed to look human, but wasn't. Every muscle in my body tensed at that moment and the fight or flight adrenaline rushed like a tsunami throughout my body. I turned and sprinted the fastest I had ever. I wasn't watching my footing, who would, and a tree branch botched my footing and, almost like in a slow motion cliche way, I saw my life flash before my eyes as I heard the stomps of 4-legged beasts behind and then nothing.