Chapter 8 : Blind Ambition

Darius's POV

*Somewhere in the Everwood world*

It was late in the evening. Most of the services at the Everwood Hotel would’ve stopped for the night. The pool was closed, room service was no longer in service, and the front desk was down to half its normal workforce, but those weren’t things Darius Everwood had to think about at the moment.

Normally he would, his family’s hotel chain was his life’s work and part of the empire he’d been building ever since his father told him he was going to inherit everything. He couldn’t stand it when things were out of place or work was sloppy when it came to the things that were his.

There were currently bigger things at play though, things he’d been working on for years and he couldn’t allow it to slip out of his fingers.

He was currently on the road, headlights on low as he drove down a path so old there was no asphalt, only overgrowth, and flattened grass. There weren’t too many old buildings left in the area, but this one was a sight. Built like a castle with all the defenses too, only those defenses were a bit more…magical.

It was an old building, and Darius wasn’t sure anyone remembered it, especially not with those enchantments that warded away humans, but other than that he found his own hotels more impressive, more grand than the little castle.

That wasn’t why he was there though, judging old architecture. He was driving all the way out there for a deal. A deal that had been years in the making and he couldn’t help but be eager to have it finalized after all this time.

So much work and effort, all culminating into that moment, so many conversations, deals, and cozying up to the right people that he could almost taste the reward of it all.

The Everwoods had always been powerful, their ancestors having started it all by owning one of the first hotels in the states before they branched out more and more till the international business they were today.

Nowadays his son handled the international matters of their business. It kept him out of the way, but he also did good work, Darius wouldn’t have allowed anything less, not from his heir. It took a few years for him to learn but that was the original reason he had another kid, Thomas had always been a protective little shit.

He never expected that Eleonore would ever become so useful, but there he was at the doors of an old manor and if it weren’t for the faint light coming through the gaps of the old door he’d assume the place was abandoned.

Their kind liked it that way, or he knew that this particular pair liked it that way. Something about antique charm and whatnot. He didn’t know if it was a universal thing or not, but he would. Soon, he finally would.

The door opened on its own and Darius stepped inside. No one was there to lead him, but he didn’t need anyone to do so. He’d been there enough times over the years that even the candelabras lighting up on their own didn’t startle him anymore.

He just followed the path up the stairs until he arrived at the castle’s drawing room. A fanciful, dramatic little place he held back from turning up his nose at. Darius wasn’t dumb enough to insult a business partner like that—especially not these two. Not with what they were offering him.

Not with what they could do to him.

The lights were brighter here, a fire crackling away in the fireplace and two people were in front of it. One in a velvet chair, almost draped across it with how they were sitting while the other figure stood to their right, both powerful, intimidating figures, for all they were beautiful.

“You were almost late,” spoke the woman in the chair, taking a puff from a long smoking pipe that looked rather oriental, though he couldn’t place where from. She had long, wavy black hair and dark lashes that made the red of her eyes pop.

“I’d never leave you waiting, Lady Selene. There were a few matters I had to attend to to ensure that I wasn’t followed.”

No. Darius would not be so stupid as to keep someone so powerful waiting. He might’ve been powerful in the human world, nearly untouchable, but the supernatural world? It grated on him that he wasn’t much to magic and monsters. YET.

He had built one empire, he’d build another. All he needed was this deal.

“We offered to take care of that for you, you humans are always so… slow to handle matters, but nevertheless, I suppose we can proceed with tonight’s business. My son’s been rather impatient about the whole thing, still so young. How old are your children now, Darius? 30? 40?”

“28 and 18 respectively.”

“Close enough.” Selene waved off. “Practically newborns though, are you really so eager to spend time with a newborn, Valerian?”

“Come now mother, you know that’s not the reason, I’m just excited to officially have Darius as a business partner. I think I’ve waited rather patiently, have I not? Eighteen years is quite a time to wait.”

“And I’ve waited more than just a few measly decades. Like I said, still so young. We have time.”

“Yes, though legal wise we are running out of time unless we’re ready to deal with complications.”

“How so?” Selene asked, tapping the ash out of her pipe. “Did you not say you’d have this handled, Darius?”

“I did, and I do. However, it would be in our best interests to have her married before she runs out of the suppressors you gave me. As long as she takes them then there’s nothing to worry about. It’ll still be within my power to make her sign off this marriage to whoever I claim is ‘best for her’ as her father. She will get rather… finicky after that though, so it’s best to see it done now.”

“Oh, don’t worry so much about that. That’s hardly a problem at all. A little bit of compulsion and those humans will be none the wiser. We have the time in the world,” Selene waved him off, taking another puff of her pipe, the smell of tobacco growing thicker. “Though. I suppose you don’t.”

No. Because as much as it burned, Darius was human. He did not have the longevity of the supernatural, nor anything near the lifespan of vampires like these two. However, getting angry wouldn’t do anything to solve the situation.

They were trying to rile him up, get him angry if only to poke more at how young and human he was, even though white hairs were starting to appear on his head, as his vision worsened, as he lost his prime and slowly became older, his body more feeble, things slipping from his fingers—he refused.

He didn’t work so hard to become the man he was today to lose it to age. Not when the answer was right in front of him.

“Still, eighteen is so young. I’d prefer something a bit more mature. 21, that’s a good age, 23 would be even better, that’s a peak time for humans. Still young but more manageable. Younger humans are prone to being… stupid,” Selene sneered.

“Not my daughter.”

“She’s young, of course she’s stupid.”

“She might be young but she knows the consequences if she were to go against my orders.”

“Accidents happen,” Valerian smirked. “I’m sure moving our plans along couldn’t hurt though. Once she’s in our hands at least we can wait as long as we need for things to be just right, don’t you agree, Mother?”

“You do make an excellent point, Valerian.” Selene hummed. “Time is rather inconsequential to us, but you humans are always in such a rush. So desperate for just a little more time that you’d sell your own child’s soul?” She chuckled silkily and Darius held back from reacting.

“But of course,” he said smoothly. “As a businessman, I find myself pressed for time, especially in my old age and my son is still not ready to take over for me. I’d like to be around for a long, LONG time to ensure everything is as it should be with my own empire, don’t you think? As for my daughter, I’ve raised her to the best of my ability. If she couldn’t do this much then I’d have no reason to keep her around.”

“Of course. Then let us make it official this time, shall we?”

This was it, this was what Darius had been waiting for and he pulled the contract out of his suit pocket, placing it on the table as a gust of wind blew it towards Selene and she gracefully plucked it out of the air.

“Then, Eleonore Everwood shall marry my son Valerian and become part of our family. All rights to her and her existence will be placed in our very capable hands. In exchange, we shall bring you into the fold as a member of our coven, turning you into a vampire. She shall be given to us before her 19th birthday, where you will officially give all control of her over to us, and you will wash your hands of her. Do we have a deal, Darius?”

With what he was being given in exchange? He was happy his wife had at least been able to do this for him despite all her idiocy and incompetence. It seemed that his marriage was finally giving him those benefits he was promised long ago.

“It’s a deal.”

Selene signed the document in blood, the letters glowing before she handed it to her son. Suddenly, Valerian was by his side, a grin on his face, eyes glowing with dark amusement as he handed over the contract along with a sharp quill.

“Sign in blood if you would. A blood pact is unbreakable and if either side breaks the terms of the contract… well, time will be the least of your worries,” he chuckled lowly and Darius held back a sneer as he took both items, poking his thumb with the quill tip and drawing blood.

He signed his name, the letters glowing for a moment, the magic taking, then, the contract rolled itself up and disappeared.

“There! The deal is done. I look forward to seeing our plans come to fruition.”

“As do I. Now, I’ll take my leave.” Darius was more than happy to leave, as he was finally walking away with what he had wanted for so long.

After finding out about the supernatural, an entire world where he had no standing after EVERYTHING he had done to be the one with power, he couldn’t allow it to continue. He needed a way to stand amongst them.

He had thought long and hard about it, slowly breaching into the scene, making deals with smaller, less important creatures among the various races, and found that werewolves and vampires had large standings inside those communities and were quite powerful.

Between the two, the vampires were the ones who could live indefinitely if they were smart about it, and Darius was nothing if not smart. He wouldn’t have survived the business world so long if he hadn’t been.

Lady Selene and her son Valerian were old, old enough that 500 years was short for them, old enough that he couldn’t be certain just when they began to exist, but that sort of existence was lengthy, almost eternal. That’s what he wanted.

Why would he hand over his life’s work to his son when he could just take care of it himself? It would take some maneuvering and finagling after he was given his dues, but when he was, well, Thomas would quietly give up his position and return it to the rightful owner.

He was a good placeholder, as he’d been trained to be, but at the end of the day, Darius was the one in control.