Chapitre 15: New home

She gulped hearing those words spoken by Damien. Her body sitting crossed while her leg, which had been injured, still resting on his lap, finally felt it being released by him as she pulled it back so that she could place it down.

A cold sweat broke on her back. His smile filled words didn't lessen the threat he had casually blurted out to her. His words made her worry.

Truthfully she didn't understand him. She had tried to figure the pureblooded vampire but the more she thought about it, the more intertwined his character turned out to be. He had claimed that he knew she wasn't a slave or rather didn't have a mark on her but that didn't erase the fact that he wanted her by his side. Running away from him seemed to be an impossible task, every word he spoke, Penny had to make sure to listen to it carefully. He had failed to offer her food, but he had come in search of her.

All her efforts from jumping out of the window to walking in the rain through the forest appeared to be pointless. She had wasted her time, but she had tried, thought Penny to herself. To not do anything and cry about it was worse than trying to escape and getting caught.

He treated her like a slave but a few minutes ago, he had picked her dirty feet to remove the thorn that had stuck to the bottom of her feet. She didn't understand what he was trying to do. But if she was sure about one thing, it was that running away any time soon wasn't an option. Not to forget the threat.

Once the carriage reached the mansion, the coachman pulled the reins of the horses to stop them right in front of the mansion. When Penny stepped out, she was gobsmacked at the sight of how large the mansion was. It was a tall, proud mansion that was painted dark grey in color which was very similar to the clouds that hovered in the sky, thundering, and growling. There were statues made of marble, situated in the midst of the garden that looked rather strange to her.

Most of the statues she had come across until now, they were of beautiful women. Not that she was complaining about the addition of men here, but the expressions each one held here was filled with pain and angst. Their expressions, panic-stricken.

A man with a black and white attire arrived at the door, stepping out to take Damien's coat.

While Penny was busy taking in the strange statues and beautiful garden that surrounded them, the butler enquired,

"Master Damien, who is that?" Though the servant already knew, he wanted to confirm what he understood by the young girl's clothes if it was true.

"She is my pet. Falcon, clear the room that is next to mine," the butler slowly turned his gaze from the girl to his Master. So his Master did buy a slave.

"Would you want it to be the left or the right one?" asked Falcon, waiting for his Master's order to hear,

"On second thought, it won't be necessary," grinned Damien, his eyes began to sparkle.

"Yes, Master," the butler bowed his head, "Where will she be staying then? The servants quarters?"

"Foolish Falcon, why would I ever do that?" replied Damien who was looking at Penny. He threw a look at his butler, "She will be staying in my room. Pets are not meant to be left out in the open where others can pet them," he then shifted his gaze to her. The mouse had to know who was her master, and that he would be the only one she would ever need to serve in this lifetime. She had been caught not by the cat but the wolf, and he would enjoy her slowly before devouring her very soul.

Penny, who had been looking at the mansion, finally realized the two pairs of eyes that were looking at her. The man who had bought her was undoubtedly one of the rich pureblooded vampires. For him, to have spent three thousand gold coins on her, she should have known.

She was led inside, the butler in the front and Damien, a step ahead of her. As expected, the mansion was spacious enough for two more houses to be built inside it. She caught sight of maids who not once lifted their heads to look at them. There were more than six to seven of them who were either cleaning the walls and the stairs on either side of the large hall.

"You are home late," a woman came into view who looked barely past thirty. Her cheekbones were as high as the pureblooded vampire who had bought her from the market. Eyes that were blood red like her lips were painted with color. Her brown wavy hair was left open which stopped right above her waist.

"Maggie," Damien greeted the woman who came to his side to leave a kiss in the air next to his cheek, "Mother was asking where you were last night?"

"How fortunate for her to remember," Damien joked with a hint of sarcasm.

"She was missing you. Grace has been out too," the woman named Maggie, her eyes fell on the girl who stood behind Damien. The woman's eyebrows rose slightly, "You bought a maid. We have plenty of them already," she murmured. The girl appeared to be around the age of seventeen, her blonde hair, dirty and mud sticking on her dress, and some on her face. For a maid, she didn't look shabby but her brother always bought good looking girls to work for the mansion. Even though every one of them stepped into the mansion alive, most of them left dead due to the lack of blood in their body.

"She isn't a maid," Damien corrected, "She is my pet," he grinned.

Penny didn't like the way the man addressed her but she neither had the energy to fight him or to test his patience. She felt like an animal on display with the three pairs of eyes on her which made her uncomfortable. She had been tired from running with the shackles around her feet and by the end of the time, it had also rained leading her dress to be drenched wet the previous night. Feeling slightly feverish, she swayed back and forth. Her head began to spin, a light ache at the bottom of her feet.

Before the girl could fall down, Damien had swiftly moved to catch hold of her in his arms. Her body turned lax in his arms as he held her with his hand around her waist. He saw her head lulled back and her eyes closed.

"Is she alright?" asked Maggie with a tilt of her head.

Servants were never of much importance in the world of the high-class society of the pureblooded vampires. Maids and the other workers were used by the elites as they pleased, like tools ready for disposition. A maid's health was of no concern.

Damien who had been smiling previously looked serious now as he placed the palm of his hand on Penny's forehead. Her forehead was burning.

"Falcon, prepare cold water," without wasting a second he carried her up the stairs and to his room.

Maggie was Damien's elder sister, the sanest of the three children of the Quinn family. Damien being the second and the third daughter, who was the youngest, Grace Quinn. Maggie had followed Damien along with the girl who was being carried and put in the same bed her brother slept in.

"What are you doing here, Maggie? Don't you have a tea party to attend to?" asked Damien, his eyes watching his elder sister with hawk-like eyes.

"I was leaving. Do you need me to call the local doctor?" asked his sister, seeing him tuck the girl who looked like she had rolled in the mud. Her brother had called the girl pet, which made Maggie wonder what her brother was up to. With his mood flipping mind that kept fluctuating every now and then, she didn't know what he was scheming and somewhat she pitied the girl.

"For what? She's a slave, she doesn't need one," Damien's words were curt, "Go now. You will be late," he gave her a smile that looked mischievous.

"Don't do anything to her, Damien," Maggie stated in concern.

"Don't tell me how to treat my things, Maggie. Off you go," he waited for his sister to leave. Once the vampiress left the room, the pureblooded vampire turned to look at the girl who laid asleep out of exhaustion, "My troublesome mouse. If you had stayed put, you wouldn't have fallen sick," his hand for the very first time, pushed the strands of her hair away from her face, pushing the baby hairs away and looking down at her face.

The butler who had arrived with the bowl of water knocked on the door first to see the master nod his head. Once the cloth was dipped and placed on her forehead, the butler didn't mention how his master looked somewhat smitten by the slave he had bought from the black market.

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ENVOYER LE CADEAU

Chapitre 16: Demon Doctor

As consciousness returned to Penny, her eyes opened in a haze filled view where it took her some time to adjust to her current environment. She looked at the top of the bed's ceiling made of redwood, glass fixed above it where she could see her reflection. She looked unrecognizable or rather in a state which she hadn't imagined her to be in.

The bedposts that were carved in a certain design were covered with silk-like curtains that twirled around on all four. Feeling a breeze that came through the open window, her body shivered in the cold. Getting up with an aching head that felt heavy, she looked around the lavish room that looked nothing less than a king's room.

Two chandeliers hung on each side of the room distributedly, tall candles burned brightly, enough for the room to have light along with the fireplace that had logs of woods added into it with few ashes as if it were cleaned moments ago.

Her body was covered in the softest blanket she ever had the pleasure to even touch, the pillows fashionable making one think of nothing less to butter that melts in one's mouth. The window which was open was at the right, the curtains softly blowing in as the wind moved in the room. Looking at the architecture of the room, she doubted this could be where she was staying. A servant of the house or a slave who was bought from the slave establishment was never allowed to this kind of privilege.

Penny wanted to step out of the bed, wanting to go to the bathroom but just as she tried to move her legs so that she could place them on the carpeted floor, she felt something around her ankle. Moving the thick quilt away from her body she saw her leg being bound to one of the bedposts.

Suddenly the door to the room opened, which had been closed and she saw Damien step inside the room alone. His eyes catching sight of her awakened self, he said,

"Humans are fragile creatures. If you hadn't escaped from me, you wouldn't have fallen sick. You should be careful how you treat yourself," he walked to her with languid movements, his eyes fell on her ankle. Putting his hand into his pocket, he pulled out the key and unlocked the chain from the bedpost but didn't make an effort to remove the anklet attached to the chain.

"If you had let me free-"

"Oh, are we still on it?" Damien's eyes twinkled as they looked at her. The girl's hair looked like a mess where her hair stuck around, her eyes smaller than usual due to the fever she had caught in the rain, "If you speak about it again, I won't think twice before taking you to the establishment to make sure you get the mark that you were meant to have before being sold.

Penny wasn't the type of girl to go back answering everything a person said but she wasn't the kind to keep quiet when she felt she was wronged. But then, she wasn't stupid to cross over the lines which had been put around her. Not when the hawk was looking at her without blinking. With her energy drained she stopped and decided not to speak to him.

Unexpectedly, the vampire placed his warm hands on her burning forehead.

Penny's eyes, which had been dull, suddenly came to life at her mere touch. She looked into his eyes that stared into hers. "You are burning," he murmured.

"I need to go use the bathroom," she said, unable to hold in the urge to pee, "Please," she added looking away from him.

"Hmm. Go on," seeing Damien not move from the place he sat, Penny scrambled on the bed with the chain softly making noise, reminding her of her current situation. The long-chain jingled once she stepped down on the floor and dragged her feet to the bath, which was three steps away from the bed.

Damien's eyes followed the girl, taking in every single movement of hers until the curtain to the bath was pulled to close the view. On-time, his butler knocked on the door and stepped in. The butler saw the bed empty except for the pureblooded vampire who sat with both his feet on the ground.

The butler bowed his head deep before asking, "Master Damien, the food has been heated again as asked. Would you want me to bring it up here?"

"She's awake. I don't see why not, but are you sure?"

"Sure?" the butler prompted the question to receive a look from his master.

"Will she be able to consume it, Falcon? It would be a pity if she won't be able to eat it in her current state. I will make sure you get something very fitting depending on her health if it gets better or worse," Damien smiled, his eyes crinkling that made the butler gulp.

Why wouldn't his Master ask for the local doctor if he was worried about the slave or pet as he had mentioned here to the mansion? But then, thought the butler to himself, the whole of Quinn's family, whom he had been serving for decades now didn't believe in humans or rather their value was as good as a shilling, which was actually worthless in their eyes. The family never entertained humans and even if they did, it was for beneficial reasons. With the family filled with pureblooded vampires and servants, who were a mix of half vampires and humans who didn't need unnecessary attention, it made the butler wonder why his Master had picked this particular person to be his 'pet'.

"The food is a type of porridge that should be easily consumable. It will also not cause any indigestion," assured Falcon.

"As you are so well versed with humans. What do you think must be done? Her body temperature has not reduced since she fell asleep," pondered Damien loudly while looking at his butler who had a good amount of knowledge when it came to humans due to his daily interactions. Damien had never bothered to look into the matters of humans as it never had concerned him except for drinking blood from them.

Falcon wasn't a human but an average vampire. His work often involved humans, to talk to them in the nearby villages depending on the errands he was sent to do.

As if remembering something, the butler wondered if he should tell it to his Master knowing how impulsive and insensitive he could be.

"Spit it out," it was as if Damien had caught the thought passing across his butler's face.

"I-ah-I heard a cloth bath in the cold water should take away the heat from the body," answered the butler, his eyes still on the floor not daring to look at his Master.

"Get the food here," ordered Damien to catch sight of the butler who was dawdling around as if wanting to say something, "Who knew that the food would appear here by itself," said Damien.

"Ah, Master, wouldn't bringing a doctor to be more helpful?"

"That won't be necessary," Damien was quick to dismiss the butler's suggestion, "The doctors in the villages are illiterate who know nothing. Did you know there was a case that arrived at the council a month ago? A boy who was of the age of seven passed away by the hands of the doctor. The village that comes right next to the Isle town. The doctor instead of helping the boy recover, he had used him as an experiment for his future medicines. The humans speak as if evil resides only in the creatures of the dark, but they don't know darkness lies right within and around themselves," smiled Damien, "The doctor will be the last thing I will be looking for to fix my pet."

Why did Falcon feel as if his master was referring to the slave like she was a watch that had been broken? But the Master whom he served for was a strange man, this whole house was a collection of freaks which he would never tell out loud but there were some rare moments when it was worthwhile to work at Quinn's estate. But they weren't all bad, Master Damien himself was a strange man but who wasn't? Everyone had a peculiar feature and characteristics.

If he was here today working for the Quinn's, it was because of this man who had helped him in the trial from being executed. The butler was an orphan along with his younger sister who had been taken in by his paternal uncle. He had murdered his uncle after finding his sister dead who had been molested and abused by their own uncle. No matter what the reason was, the folks where they lived had blamed the children as if it were their fault, turning Falcon into a murderer when he had killed to avenge his sister's suicide after she had been unable to take the shame that she had written in the letter.

Death was a serious matter and no matter what one's reason was, it wasn't enough to take the matter into one's own hands. These matters involved the council, the government that looked after the four lands. No one knew except for Damien that the papers had been shuffled as he was the one who had done it. The proofs with other information that had been recorded were changed to allow Falcon to step out as a free man before being taken in as the butler of Quinn's family.

Penny, who had been listening to the conversation of Damien and another servant, whom she assumed to be the butler, her eyes narrowed when she pushed the curtains away drowsily.

"How do you feel? I heard a good cloth bath would reduce the heat. Shall we try it, little mouse?" he taunted her in a teasing undertone.

"Excellent. I feel better after sleeping," she replied, reaching the bed with the chain that she dragged along with her. She somehow knew that he would not leave a chance to undress her. Slaves were usually brought for sexual pleasures. She would definitely not let this man have his way!

She heard the vampire hum before she heard him speak, "Is that so now? How about you try unbuttoning my shirt? It is time to start with your duties as my pet if you're already feeling better," he said offering her a cunning smile.