A MAZE OF GREED

Darius left the Garfield mansion and went into the stable where his favourite horse was. Horse riding was his hobby and, whenever he got a chance, he enjoyed it. A servant was there with his horse ready and well-fed.

"Good morning, My Lord!" The servant bowed.

Darius ignored him and ran his hands on the back of his tall and sturdy brown horse. Its mane shone under the daylight. Satisfied at his condition, Darius nodded his head.

"You have not informed your father about your trip."

Darius's mood soured instantly.

"What is it to you Marcus?"

"I need something to tell your father when he will ask about you." Marcus crossed his hands behind his back.

This vampire was one of the most stubborn and shameless ones that Darius knew. Darius had tried every tactic to humiliate him and break him, but he was one hard nut to crack.

"You do not need to tell him anything. I will answer him myself." Darius said dismissively.

"Are you going for a search of new pet?"

Marcus just did not know when to stop.

"Why would you think that?" Darius narrowed his eyes at him.

Marcus shrugged his shoulders. "I thought you must have lost your interest in her by now. By the way, she is the longest surviving pet of yours. She must be special right?"

Darius clenched his jaw in irritation. "Stop talking about Lisa!" He warned.

"Why Darius? Is she that good that you are so obsessed with her? Well, I would not mind to try her once-"

Before Marcus completed his sentence, a punch landed on the left side of his face that made him stumble a few steps. Darius was instantly in front of him. Grabbing Marcus's collar, Darius glared at him with his now red eyes.

"Think about her again and, I will feed your dead heart to my dogs. I am warning you for the last time, Marcus, stay the hell away from my business. Do not forget that you are nothing but a servant of my father.

He can get another one if not you. And he will not even think twice about you; after you die at my hands. Trust me, we elites do not care about bloody slaves! Know your limits, and DO NOT cross them... EVER!"

Darius threw another punch at Marcus and threw him on the ground. He got up on his horse and rode away.

Marcus wiped the blood around the corner of his mouth. His chest heaved up and down.

"Let's see who will lose at the end, Darius. An unworthy prince or a capable commander?!"

Darius climbed down the hill on which the Garfield mansion was built. He crossed the last checkpoint around the mansion and entered the nearest town. Darius rode on the roads watching the humans bow to him.

He saw a group of people approaching him.

'They must be ready for complaining. Foolish humans!' Darius thought.

He struck his heel on the side of his horse and, the animal picked up its pace before those humans got a chance to speak with their ruler.

A few minutes later, Darius slowed down for his horse needed to catch his breath. He could have run to his destination faster than this animal, but then how could he have found time to ride it?

Darius recognised the habitation he was in. It was Lisa's small town. Riding on its roads, he revisited the time when he abducted her. It was a long ago and yet it felt like it was recent.

How the time had passed so quickly, he wondered.

"My Lord... My Lord... please stop My Lord!" Darius heard loud pleadings. He turned his head to see a couple running barefoot behind his horse.

Darius thought of picking up his pace again, but the look on their faces made him decide otherwise. He slowed his horse more and brought it to halt. The couple caught up with him in the next minute.

By the time they reached him, they were gasping for air. Darius could sense their heart pumping faster than before. He closed his eyes momentarily, thinking about their warm blood.

"My Lord... please... please help us!"

Darius shook his thoughts aside and focused on the middle-aged couple in front of him.

"If you want money or any concession in the work then you can ask for that to your ruling coven member."

Vampires had a hierarchy in their structure, yet they all were power-hungry creatures. To not get into conflicts, Ambrose had come with a solution. He divided Kinsville into eight different parts, which were a town in itself. He allotted each of these to every coven member.

That member was entrusted with the law and order, administration and management of the humans in his allotted part. The ultimate and supreme authority resided with the Garfields only.

"My Lord... we tried asking them for help but they ignored our plead. We are very hopeful that only you can help us." The woman said while crying.

Darius tsked in irritation. "Fine! Tell me what is your problem?" He asked, clearly not interested in their trouble.

Expectations bloomed on their faces. Feeling confident, the man began, "My Lord, my young daughter and her friend went to get water at the river. They did not return even in the night. We went to the river in search of them and..."

The man's voice became thick with emotions, his eyes teared up more.

"We found her friend's bloodied deadbody by the riverside. It was... it was done by a... a v-vampire." The man said carefully.

"But we have not found our daughter yet. It has been many months and yet we have no clue about her. We have not even found her dead body. Please My Lord help us in finding our beloved daughter. She... she must be in some trouble. I beg you My Lord, please hear the plea of this helpless mother!" The woman began crying hysterically.

Darius was silent this whole time, his interest had piqued up.

"What is your daughter's name?" He asked after a minute.

"L-Lisa, My Lord!" The man answered.

So these were Lisa's parents!

"Our daughter is very young, My Lord. She has never been away from us before. I do not know how she is surviving without us. She is very brave but... she gets scared of dark." Her mother kept on talking about her daughter.

Her heart was overflooded with the longing to meet her.

Darius thought of the times he had kept her in the dark dungeons. Was she scared then?

"I will look into this matter." Saying that he rode off, not caring to glance back even once.

Lisa... she was intriguing to him. She was very different from Grace. Grace was like an open book. He could read her easily. He knew her thoughts, her likes and dislikes, her habits, her insecurities, her dreams.

Darius was aware of every facet of her personality. And yet he caused unrepairable damage to her. He lost her forever. And now, he was punished by her torturous memories. Lisa was a distraction, a balm on his bleeding wound.

But Lisa could never be Grace. Even if Darius developed any feelings for Lisa other than just entertainment, she could never replace Grace in his life. Because Grace was his mate.

A mate that he rejected, only to please his father and save himself from embarrassment.

Darius released a shaky breath. He stopped near the river from where he had abducted Lisa months ago. He jumped off the horse. He splashed some water on his face to get his mind clear.

He then rode off for some more distance. He finally came to halt at a place that was well hidden in the forest. Darius swept his surroundings with his dark eyes, making sure that no one was following him.

He tied his horse to a nearby tree. Patting his side, he walked on a narrow path that ventured further deep into the forest. Moving the dense bushes aside, Darius found a door that was built in such a way that it hide behind those bushes well.

He knocked on the door. A few seconds later, the door was opened by a man who had pale white skin just like Darius, his eyes were black.

"Welcome My Lord!" He said in his raspy voice.

Darius entered the dark way and, the man closed the door behind him. He took Darius ahead on the dark path. The narrow space widened after some hundred steps. Darius looked down at the whole new world.

A world that he had created by himself.

As he peered down from the height of about two floors, his eyes met with the familiar face. Darius climbed down the stairs that led to a vast circular area where more than eighty people were doing their thing.

The torches burning at particular intervals illuminated the place in their yellowish-red light. As Darius walked into that space, screams, pleads, curses, cries fell on his ears.

He smiled at those sounds. They were the confirmation that he was on the right way.... the right way to get his goal.