A MAZE OF GREED

"Darius... Darius! I am asking you something!" Lisa glared at him as she followed him around his bedroom.

"I am listening Lisa. You know that Vampires can hear even distant sounds." He said out of boredom.

"Then why are you not telling me where you are going?" She asked as Darius folded his clothes to put them in a bag.

"If I am not telling you something then it means that I do not want to tell. It is as simple as that. I thought you were smart enough to understand that."

Now Lisa was angry. She turned him around to make him look at her.

"Stop with this Darius. I want to know where you are going?"

Lisa's feistiness always amused him, and he liked it. But sometimes, she crossed her limits and then he had to be harsh on her.

Darius pulled her into his chest, wrapping his hands around her torso. "Do not worry, sweet Lisa. I will be back safely!"

Lisa's brows pulled together. "and what am I suppose to tell that man when he will ask me abot your whereabouts?"

"Which man?" Darius's features suddenly blackened.

"That one... Marcus. That is his name right?"

"When did you meet him?" Darius's fingers dug in her skin.

Yet Lisa stood unbothered by it. "Every time you leave the mansion, he comes and asks me about your whereabouts. He thinks that you tell me everything. I wonder why he thinks so?" She seemed lost in her thoughts.

"What else he said?"

"He keeps asking the same questions. Nothing more than that." Lisa replied.

"Did he... did he touch you, Lisa?"

Lisa was taken aback by Darius's absurd question. But she knew how to rile him up and enjoy it.

"What if he did?"

Darius's eyes darkened in anger. He pulled her head back by fisting her hair in his hand.

"Do not play games with me Lisa!" He warned. "Tell me if he has ever touched you."

Lisa smirked. "Maybe once or may be tiwce....or perhaps every time..." She stretched her answer intentionally.

In the next moment, she was on the bed with Darius hovering above her dangerously.

"You think that I will believe you so easily? No, my vixen! I know that every male hand advanced in your way will be cut down by you before it touches you. There is only one man who can have you... all of you and you do not even complain."

Darius smiled as he ran his finger from her face to her throat, then further down in the valley on her chest.

He squeezed her left breast painfully, making her hiss in pain.

"Do not try such stupid games again with me. Do you understand?!" He asked darkly.

Lisa did not say anything, nor did she agree with him.

She waited for him to continue his torture, but surprisingly he released her. He straightened up and resumed his packing.

After he was done, he pulled Lisa again in a hug. "I wish I could take you with me. No need to say anything to Marcus or my parents. If they ask about me just say that you do not know anything."

"I indeed do not know anything Darius!" Lisa pointed out.

"Now you know why I do not tell everything to you." Darius kissed her forehead.

"I will miss you!" He whispered, resting his chin on her head.

"Come soon!" She whispered lowly while hugging him tighter and closing her eyes. She was going to miss him too, but she would never admit it to him.

Was she falling for this blood-sucking monster?

A cold shiver ran down her spine, and she pulled away from him immediately.

"You should go now." She said, trying to avoid his dark eyes.

Darius observed her a moment longer but then only nodded before he left. Lisa slumped down on the floor, trying to figure out the mess her heart had become.

Darius had already discussed his trip with Mr Hilton. He promised to take care of the things in Kinsville while Darius was away. Only he knew where Darius was heading in search of more Painite.

Darius did not like carrying the loyal dogs with him. He liked to travel alone and complete his missions alone. That was one of the reasons, he did not like the way his father relied on Marcus for every nuisance thing.

No matter how loyal one was if the time asked they could easily turn their backs. That was what Darius believed and acted on the same line.

He took his favourite horse and placed his bag on his side. He mounted on the horse's back swiftly. Sparing a last glance behind him, he commanded the horse to move ahead with the subtle kick of his heels.

The journey was a two days' long trip. The road was neither bad nor too good. Darius had taken that road before and thus was familiar with every turn and the corner of it. The main challenge was getting the permission of entering the gates of Crinudel.

The last time he visited that secret kingdom, he had to go through a lot of efforts to convince the guards to let him in. He was the only vampire who was allowed in the magical kingdom of Crinudel after the great war.

Although the road to Crinudel was normal, once you reach the outskirts of its border, only the one who was brave and lucky could pass through the three layers of security they had established for the safety of their kingdom.

The first day ended with the sunset, and Darius had crossed the borders of Kinsville a long time ago. As Kinville was a hostile town that did not receive any guests, the area around its borders was also isolated and uninhabited except for a few houses built by the families who sought refuge from the Vampires after the great war.

But to find one such house, a person needed to walk for miles and should know the exact locations of these houses, or he would get stuck in this nowhere for days without any aid.

Darius jumped down from his horse. He stopped near a pond. If not him then his horse needed water after running the whole day. Darius walked his horse near the pond, and the animal quenched his thirst greedily.

Darius's body had stiffened after sitting on the horse for that long. He stretched his hands above his head and removed his jacket. He splashed some water on his face that made him feel refreshed.

His stomach grumbled in hunger. The pain in his jaw made him restless. There was no way he could find human blood in this region. For now, he had to be satisfied by the blood of any forest animal or bird.

Darius tied his horse to a nearby tree to let the animal rest before continuing the rest of the journey.

He roamed around the place in search of food. After an hour, he still had not found anything. The pain in his jaw grew even more. He needed blood instantly before he went crazy in bloodlust.

He was about to rumble in frustration when his ears caught some sound to his right. Darius froze in his spot, immobile as his ears strained to get the exact direction of the sound.

When he heard it once again, he knew he had found his prey. With his vampire speed, he ran in that direction. The animal got aware of his presence and broke into a sprint in an attempt of saving its life.

Darius loved the chase. In Kinsville, he hardly got a chance of enjoying a good chase. He wished it was some human instead of a deer running in fright.

When his hunger rose to its peak, Darius jumped above a tall tree to land straight in front of the deer. The animal skidded before coming to halt. Its large watery eyes searched for an escape frantically.

The animal snorted, expelling air forcefully through its nasal passages as it sought Darius's scent as a danger.

Darius had an evil grin on his face. His eyes had already turned red as he stalked towards the animal. The deer decided to try its escape once more for the sake of its life. It began running in the opposite direction of the coming danger.

Darius was too tired to run behind the animal. He took a heavy stone that he found nearby. With force, he hurled it, aiming for the deer's legs.

The animal collapsed on the ground as the stone broke the bone of its hind leg. It lamented in pain and in fear of the monster walking in its way.

Darius stood looking down at the beautiful animal with pretty big eyes. He would have liked to keep it in his collection of beautiful animals.

He thought about Lisa. She would have been very ecstatic to have this animal as her pet. Alas!

Its time was over in this world.

"May your soul rest in peace, my friend!"

Those were Darius's last words before he bent down.. After ten minutes, the cries of the animal had extinct and what remained behind was the sounds of a monster feasting.