Bab 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.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
ash_knight17
ash_knight17 Posted a picture of Damien's room in the Discord server. Link is placed in the review I have posted in 'About book'
Bab 17: Be nice
Though Penny had told the man that she was feeling better, both of them knew that she was still sick which was obvious with the way her body lightly shivered along with the unsteady movements. Hearing his demands, she couldn't help but stop to look at him.
This man wasn't a pureblooded vampire but a demon in disguise thought Penny in her mind.
"What are you waiting for?" taunted Damien with a serious look, throwing his head back a little and closing his eyes before opening one to look at her, "It's really hot, a good bath would make me feel better. With your soft hands, I am sure to feel relaxed."
Penny weighed the consequences of her actions and words. As she had told him that she was doing better, he was already making her do her job. If she went back to say she wasn't feeling well, this night creature would undress her and give her a bath. The third possibility was her taking a swing at the man but with the lack of energy in her body, there was little chance of anything going in her favor except for letting off some steam. How far would that go?
Reluctantly, she turned her body to see him shift on the bed such that he brought one of his legs to fold on the bed while leaving the other as it was so that he could face her.
She didn't dare to look at Damien. She was brave for standing up to the people she had come across over the last week. And maybe it was because she had never seen or known the darker side of the world she had lived in until now for having no fear but what Penny didn't know was that her life had already started to change since the time she had been taken into the slave establishment where there was no turning back. Her ignorance of the world she had never seen was the absence of fear that existed in her mind.
Penny who was past seventeen years of age had never been touched by a man. She had fallen in love with some of the men as she had grown up around but had never taken up the courage to go speak to any of them. Even if she did, the men had different interests and standards that didn't match with her, after all, women in her village weren't short of beauty. They were well known enough to attract some of the black merchants who were involved in stealing and throwing the young woman into the slave establishment.
Going close to Damien, she brought her hands up near his shirt while still not making eye contact. Her head had started to feel dizzy, unsure if it was because of the fever or it was the nervousness that was causing this reaction.
Damien was sharper than most of the pureblooded vampires. Even before she had decided to obey his words, he already knew what the outcome was going to be yet he couldn't help himself from taunting the girl. His lips twisted up when he noticed her hands shaking and heart pounding in her chest.
It wasn't something to be pleased about but he was more than pleased with this little response of hers. It showed the lack of experience she had with men.
She brought her fingers up to the top of his shirt, the first blue button fumbling it in her hands which she unbuttoned after a few seconds. Bringing her hand down to remove the next one, she undid it to see his muscled chest that was hidden beneath his shirt. They looked taunt and hard, one single mark ran across one side of his abs that looked rather serious as its stitch was visible even to her blurry eyes. She gulped and she did one wrong move of letting her gaze move up from his muscles to his collar bones. Her eyes swept up to see the neck and then up his face to meet his eye where he was already looking at her.
His red eyes stared right into hers as if he were looking into her very soul that made her heart shudder. The mischievous smile on his lips had fallen like the courage that had built into her before he had asked her to undress him.
Even though he was the man who had bought her from the black market where humans were degraded without any regard, he had saved her. Enough to keep her not in a place like the cells or confinement rooms of the slave establishment. By the looks of it, it was obvious that this wasn't any room but this demon's room. It was Master Damien Quinn's room.
What did he want from her? First, he let her starve, and then he had let her sleep on his bed. Now he was back to taunting her and treating her like a personal maid. It felt like he was breaking and building her to only break her again.
"Master Damien," she addressed him, her head feeling dizzier by the second. Her words were innocent but it stirred something dark within the person who was in front of her. She slowly started to lean forward for her body to only fall lax into his arms as she fell unconscious.
Damien's jaw ticked at the teasing girl who had fallen asleep on his chest. This little mouse, his eyes narrowed looking down at her. The audacity of her to fall asleep without speaking what she had on her mind, he carried her to lay her head back on the pillow. When Falcon arrived back at the room with the meal, pushing the trolley in, he saw his Master sitting on the bed while reading a book next to the girl who was asleep.
It seemed that the food would need to be reheated again, to make sure the butler asked, "Master Damien, shall I bring the food back again later when she's awake?"
"You can give it to the dogs, Falcon. Prepare the meal once she's awake," replied Damien, flipping the page of the book he was reading, "Human's have nothing good to write. What is with this book?" he threw the book right at Falcon who caught a hold of it in time.
The butler was one that was an illiterate who didn't know how to read or write. Therefore the writings looked gibberish in his eyes.
Curious, the butler asked, "What does the book say, Master?"
"It's on how to look after pets," Damien's quick response made Falcon sigh internally. He hoped it wasn't for the girl on the bed.
"I am sure Master is intelligent and doesn't need to rely on what humans have written," the butler said for Damien to hum.
"True. I should probably write one and send it to the library for copies so that they know that treating pets with care doesn't work all the time. It needs to be scolded and disciplined well," the butler had no words for his Master.
After Damien, as well as the butler, had left Penny to sleep in silence, as the pureblooded vampire had work to attend to, she dreamt of the slave establishment.
She didn't know why but she cried in a room which was dark except for the coals of wood that burned brightly in front of her, "Please no!" she cried but the man next to her heeded not a single word from her as he was used to these cries every day.
Penny's hand and the head were restricted from any movement as it had been locked with the wooden board. Her back was left bare with the dress that she had been wearing removed to make space where the slave's mark would forever come to be etched on her skin. Another man in the room walked past her to go to the coals of wood where he picked up an iron rod with a circular mark at the other end of it. The end burned bright orange and red in color, the steam and heat coming off of it as he walked back to where Penny was held.
She begged and cried but it was to no avail. The men were doing their job. The man finally placed the hot iron on her skin making her scream further in pain. Her screams echoed on the walls of the room and she woke up from her sleep with a small gasp.
"...!"
Waking up, she noticed the room had turned brighter which meant it was the time of the morning. She couldn't remember when was the last time she had dreamt of a dream so vividly. It felt too real and when she tried to touch her back, it was as if she was placed back into the dream before being brought back to reality.
Her body trickled down with sweat, her forehead covered in it and she used her already dirty sleeve to wipe it. The sound of the fire in the room had died out, only the wind breezing in which was cool but not cold like the night before. It seemed that she was already feeling better but how couldn't she? The room she usually slept in was as cold as the night she had passed through, the floor hard with only a measly sheet to cover herself.
With the years she had lived, Penny had slept on the cold hard ground to know and feel the soft mattress on her back or body. Her mother and she never had the privilege to buy or use the cotton stuffed mattress. For a girl who hadn't tasted the luxury of sleep, the bed she was on felt nothing less to heaven what the people often spoke of after death.
Was she dead though? asked Penny to herself for her mood to dampen when she realized it wasn't so. Not that she wanted to but when the memories of last night flooded she was overcome with embarrassment.
Her body fell back and she pulled the cover-up to her face.
Not wanting to think about it, she decided to sleep for some more time when she heard someone enter the room. She prayed to God it wasn't Damien and as if wanting to clear her doubts, she pulled down the cover to see a maid who had entered the room.
While she continued to act as if she were asleep, Penny felt the maid rustle through the trolley that was bought but with no hint of smell, she doubted if it was food that was brought in. When the maid caught sight of Penny's act where the girl was awake in the bed, the servant girl didn't bother to greet her and instead turned away her face like she didn't even exist. The maid folded the clothes she had brought inside but left it right at the table without going to open the closet that led to clothes.
"Excuse me," Penny cleared her throat, trying to gain the maid's attention who for God knows what reason was behaving rudely towards her, "Excuse me, but do you know where Master Damien is?"
The maid took a few seconds of her own to respond back, turning her face towards her, "No," came out the short reply. That wasn't helpful, she thought to herself before asking another question,
"Might you know when he might return?" asked Penny.
"No."
"What time did he leave?" Penny continued to ask for the maid to stop what she was doing and turn her entire body to look at the girl on the bed.
"I am not subjected to talk to a lowly slave like you," answered the maid, turning away and continuing her work in the room. Lowly slave? Penny's eyes narrowed.
Deciding to dive into the matter, she asked, "And how better are you compared to me?" The maid wore an apron around her thin waist. Her dress resembled some of the uniforms she had come to see in the local market who served the high mansion families. The maid was pretty with brunette hair and red eyes which meant she was a vampire. It was a given fact that vampires were better looking than normal humans. If one considered a human to be pretty, in vampire terms it meant they were average as they had better-looking people. Sure she looked dirty now, but Penny was prettier than this little maid who looked even younger than her with the way she behaved.
"Listen, you slave. I know what you are trying to do," she did? asked Penny to hear the maid speak, "Just because the Master bought you here and is allowing you to sleep in his room, doesn't mean you are better. I know the history of where the slaves come from and what happens to them in the slave establishment."
"Is it because you were part of it?" Penny asked with a tilt in her head making the maid narrow her eyes.
"You wish, slave," huffed the maid.
"By what I see," Penny paused to gain all the attention of the maid, "It is you who is running errands while I just finished my beauty sleep. Go on now, before I tell him that you were snooping in the Master's room for a longer time than necessary."
"Mark my words, you will be kicked out sooner from here than you can imagine and back to where you came from. That's the slave establishment," the maid didn't stay longer to talk and left the room with a quiet click. Something told Penny that if the room didn't belong to Damien Quinn, the maid would have sure pulled the door with a loud thud.
She wanted to go to the bathroom. It was one of the reasons why she had asked for Damien but he wasn't here. When she moved her leg, she heard a lot of jingled noise beneath the cover and she pushed it aside to see the length of the chain had been increased.
Stepping down, she walked towards the bathroom and let out a sigh of relief. At least she could use it when she needed to.
When she stepped out by pushing the curtain away which she had closed, she found the butler standing in front of her. When did he even come in? She hadn't heard a single step of noise in the room.
"I have brought in food for you to eat. Please have a seat at the table," the butler suggested his words and demeanor politer than his Master and the fellow servant of this mansion. Penny didn't have anything against the man, but he did suggest Damien give her a cold cloth bath. Not wanting to make things difficult for him, she did as was asked and saw the butler sigh.
"Where is he?"
"Master Damien?" the butler inquired, "He is in his study working. Do you wish to see him? We can go after-"
"No," Penny was quick to dismiss it, "I don't wish to see him."
She hadn't stepped her foot outside this room and was still trying to let everything that had happened wrap around her head. This was a new place, new people whom she didn't know. Not to forget it seemed like she was yet to see a human here. Until now all she had done was meet vampires and pureblooded vampires. The vampires fell lower in position compared to the pureblooded vampires who were the master of all.
When the butler placed the food on the table, even the normal porridge that her eyes fell on smell mouth-watering, "What porridge is this?"
"This is made from the fruit avocado that has been dried and roasted before mixing it with honey and other ingredients," what a strange fruit name, thought Penny. It was the first time she had heard about it.
Penny who had been hungry for far too long saw the food that was placed in front of her, she couldn't resist it and pounced on the food before taking spoonfuls into her mouth and swallowing it. In less than five minutes, she had finished the entire bowl and wished to eat more.
The butler didn't ask for a second serving, after all, she wasn't a guest but a slave that was bought home. Until and unless his Master wouldn't order him to give her another serving, he wouldn't add another, not unless he had a death wish. But looking at the girl who looked sad, he wondered if he should give her another bowl. It wasn't as if Master Damien would know. At the same time the fear of what if he got caught hung above his head. His Master was a simple man, simpler than most that fear lingered amongst the servants when it came to punishments received by him or any other family members.
"You can use the bath to clean yourself. The clothes have been placed on the bed which you can change into," said the butler, he picked the bowl which was empty in front of her to place it back on the trolley, "The Master asked me to inform you to be presentable. Also, he's asked you to not step out of the room."
"I don't think with the length of the chain I can touch the door," Penny assured the butler grimly who nodded his head.
"That's good," the man murmured, making her think what was good about her current situation, "Master Damien is a good man, so please obey his words," it felt more like a warning than praising the man. To let her know she would be in trouble if she caused any trouble here.
"I will keep that in mind," she thanked him. The butler took the trolley outside the room, exiting while leaving her all alone. Again.
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