Sweet Fate

Chapter 2 - Soren

The scent of cooling coffee lingered throughout my office. My fingers traced the edge of the manuscript page before me.

Knock.

Knock.

"Soren, are you busy?"

I raised my head. Adrian stood in the doorway, carrying a thick stack of documents in his arms.

"Come in, Adrian." I set my pen down. "Not particularly."

He stepped inside and placed the stack onto my desk. "I need to discuss something with you."

I reached for the coffee cup beside me. "What is it?"

"I’m meeting a new author who's coming in today."

I gave a subtle nod, waiting for Adrian to continue.

But before another sentence could leave his lips...

My hand froze.

An unfamiliar sensation crept slowly through my entire body. It wasn't pain or the familiar thirst. It felt... different.

My blood stirred faster than usual. For the first time in centuries, my body reacted without reason.

"...Soren?"

I snapped out of it and looked up at Adrian.

"Are you listening?" he asked, his brows furrowing.

I let out a soft sigh before setting my coffee cup back down. "Sorry. My mind drifted for a moment." I rubbed my temples. "You were saying you’re meeting a new writer?"

Adrian nodded. "Yeah. The thriller-mystery author who was the main topic during last week’s editorial meeting. Her manuscript received overwhelming positive feedback, so today we’re going over the publishing contract."

I nodded slowly. "I haven't had the chance to read it yet. I've been finishing up this these past few days." I pointed to the open manuscript on my desk. "What was the author's name again?"

"Regina Briar," Adrian replied.The name sounded foreign.

Yet somehow, that strange sensation flooded my body once more. Not as intense as before, but enough to catch the breath in my throat for a fraction of a second.

"Alright. Keep me updated on how the meeting goes."

"Will do." Adrian picked the stack of documents back up into his arms.

"Alright then, I'm heading out."

I nodded as the office door closed once more behind him.

Silence settled back over the room. I stared at the manuscript before me. The words on the page hadn't changed, yet my mind couldn't focus on a single word.

The sensation hadn't faded. If anything, it had only grown stronger.

I pressed my palm against my chest, feeling my heartbeat quicken beneath my palm.

For nearly four centuries... my body had never reacted like this.

It wasn't hunger. It wasn't a warning of danger.

Then... what was happening to me?

---

I rubbed my temples again.

For some reason, I hadn't been able to regain my focus since this afternoon. A manuscript I could usually finish within a few hours had barely moved past a handful of pages. In the end, I gave up and brought my work home.

Outside, an autumn breeze rustled through the trees, stirring the yellowing leaves. The air in Norwyn grew colder with the coming of night. Normally, an atmosphere like this always helped clear my mind.

Not tonight.

"Are you alright, Soren?"

Lucien’s voice broke my reverie. I raised my head and looked at him.

"Hm?"

"I asked if you were alright." He nodded toward the manuscript in my hand. "You've been reading the same page for nearly half an hour."

I lowered my gaze. He wasn't wrong. I closed the manuscript and let out a quiet breath, "I'm not even sure myself."

Lucien didn't interrupt. He simply waited, giving me time to speak.

"Since this afternoon..." I paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "I've been feeling something strange."

Lucien’s expression instantly turned serious. "Strange how?" he asked.

"Not pain. Nor am I thirsty." I shook my head softly. "It's hard to explain. It feels as though something keeps tugging at the edge of my mind, even though I don't know what it is."

Silence suddenly fell over the room. Lucien leaned back against the sofa. His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest—a habit that always surfaced whenever he was lost in thought.

"When did you first feel it?"

"This afternoon. Right before Adrian met with the new author."

"A new author?"

I nodded. "Her name is Regina Briar."

"Is that the name making you lose focus?"

"No." I shook my head again. "I've never even heard her name before. The sensation appeared before Adrian even finished speaking."

Lucien remained silent for a few seconds. "Have you met her?"

"Not yet."

"Then why did you bring her manuscript home?"

I glanced at the manuscript on my lap, "Out of curiosity."

I reopened the page I had been reading. My fingers traced the edge of the paper once more. "The way she writes is different."

"Different how?"

"She somehow made me understand the way her antagonist's mind worked." I shook my head softly. "Not to justify their actions. Just... making me comprehend how someone could end up choosing that path."

Lucien gave a slight nod. "No wonder Adrian liked it so much."

"He really was." I smiled faintly. "He said the entire editorial team has been talking about this manuscript since last week."

"By the way, where's Alaric? I haven't seen him in a week."

Lucien let out a soft sigh. "Still down south. His job wrapped up earlier than expected, so he decided to extend his vacation."

I let out a low chuckle. "Of course. He'll complain about the sun in a week."

Lucien smiled. "As always.”

Silence wrapped around the room once more. Not an awkward silence, but quite the opposite. After living together for so many years, we no longer felt the need to fill every pause with conversation.

I returned to reading the manuscript. My eyes scanned the first line. Then the second.

Before I could turn to the next page... that sensation returned.

This time, it was clearer than this afternoon. My hand froze. Unconsciously, my eyes shifted toward the window overlooking the city of Norwyn.

Night fog had begun to settle over the city, slowly blanketing the streets below.

For some reason... I felt as though something was drawing near.

---

My office door opened once more.

I raised my head.

The woman stepped inside with quiet grace. A long, dark coat draped over her frame, while her black hair fell smoothly past her waist. A pair of storm-gray eyes flecked with hazel scanned the room for a brief moment before finally locking onto me.

And then... our eyes met.

Snap.

My breath caught in my throat instantly.

My heart pounded so violently that every ambient sound around me seemed to fade into nothingness. Something struck my chest, racing through my body like a bolt of electricity.

All strength drained from my hand. The pen I had been holding slipped right out of my grip, rolling quietly across the desk.

What... what was this?

She looked just as startled. Her eyes widened slightly, her breath held tight in her chest. For a moment, I was almost certain she felt it too.

Impossible.

I had never met her before. I had only heard her name a few minutes ago. So why... why did every instinct inside me seem to recognize her?

I forced myself to take a slow breath.

I bent down to retrieve the fallen pen. That simple movement bought me a few seconds to compose myself, even though my pulse was still far from normal.

When I straightened back up, our eyes met once more. That sensation... had not faded in the slightest.

"Please... take a seat, Regina."

To my relief, my voice remained steady.

Regina gave a slight nod before sitting across from me. Her movements were graceful and measured, as if nothing had just transpired. Yet I knew better. I had seen how her breath hitched the moment our eyes locked.

She felt it too, perhaps.

I sat back down behind my desk, attempting to focus on the contract documents spread before me.

It was useless. Involuntarily, my gaze kept drifting back to her. Not out of curiosity, nor because of her appearance. But because every time I looked at her, that strange, foreign sensation flooded my chest all over again.

I forced myself to read through the contract. One line. Two lines. Not a single word truly registered in my mind.

Today... for the first time, my concentration completely crumbled simply because of the presence of someone I had only known for a few seconds.

Before I knew it, the meeting concluded sooner than I had anticipated.

I escorted Regina to the front of my office.

"Here is my business card. Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions... Regina."

Her name slipped effortlessly from my lips, as though I had spoken it a thousand times before.

She stared at me in silence. Her gaze was difficult to decipher. I found myself wishing I could read her mind, "Thank you, Soren."

I forced myself not to react. The way she uttered my name sent another jolt through my chest.

Adrian continued their conversation regarding the remaining administrative details that needed to be finalized.

The door slowly closed. Silence settled back over the room.

I remained standing where I was. I stood there, staring at the closed door.

That sensation... was still there.

I rubbed my face softly, hoping this was all merely the result of fatigue. But it wasn't. The strange rhythm in my chest remained. Quiet, yet impossible to ignore.

I walked back behind my desk. The contract document we had just discussed remained open before me. I tried reading it one more time.

In vain. My mind was a blank slate. I couldn't remember a single detail of the conversation we had just had.

I reached for my phone resting on the corner of the desk. Only one name came to mind.

Lucien.

It didn't take long for the call to connect.

"What is it?" Lucien’s voice sounded calm as ever.

"I need your help."

A few seconds of silence followed. The tone of my voice was evidently enough to make him realize something was amiss.

"Speak."

"I just met someone."

"And?"

"I don't know how to explain it. My body began reacting even before I met her. When our eyes met... that sensation only grew stronger."

Lucien remained quiet, letting me finish my thought.

"It feels as though..." I drew a quiet breath. "As though something inside her resonated with me."

"And then?"

"Yet I couldn't sense a trace of vampire energy from her."

The sentence sounded impossible even as I spoke it aloud.

"What is her name?" Lucien asked.

"Regina Briar."

"The author you mentioned last night?"

"Yes."

Lucien didn't answer right away.

"Alright," Lucien finally said. "Give me some time."

"Do you know something?"

"Not quite." His response was brief. "I'm not sure myself yet. Let me look into it first. I'll get back to you later."

The line went dead.

I lowered my phone slowly. My gaze fell once more upon the manuscript resting on the desk.

Regina Briar.

I had only heard that name a few hours ago. Yet for some reason, it refused to leave my mind.

---

As dusk settled over Norwyn, the air grew noticeably colder. The coffee beside me had long since gone cold.

Lucien Calling. I answered immediately.

"I've looked into it."

"What did you find?"

"Not much."

My brow furrowed.

"Regina Briar lives alone. An author. A former criminal profiler." Lucien paused. "There's no record connecting her to our kind."

I fell silent. "Meaning?"

"All the information I gathered points to a single conclusion."

My heartbeat quickened once more.

"Regina Briar..." Lucien paused. "...is human."

I froze.

Impossible.

If Regina was truly human...

Then what was it I felt whenever she was near?

To be continued.