“Why are you torturing the new butler, Damien?” asked his father who had his eyes on the newsletter which was in his hand. Raising his head to look up from the paper, he saw the butler who looked as if he were going to pass out with the early demands being thrown at him, “Go take the meal to Grace’s room. You can make the broth soup once you have served them and get some for all of us. Go,” Mr. Senior Quinn looked at the butler who immediately nodded. Bolting from the dining room to get the food delivered to the young vampiresses’ room.
Damien didn’t say anything but chuckle.
“He is only new here, don’t chase him away from here already. We need someone to handle the mansion before it further falls apart,” Penny who looked at the butler’s back disappear behind the walls shifted her gaze to look at the older man who sat at the head of the table. The atmosphere today was stranger and odder than the rest of the days which was what made her feel slightly anxious as she looked back at her plate. Her gaze then moved to look at Lady Maggie who sat in front of her and Damien.
Lady Maggie conjured a smile when she noticed Penny looking at her, “I heard from Damien you hurt your back. Does it hurt?” she asked.
“It’s getting better, Lady Maggie,” Penny bowed her head to hear the oldest daughter of the Quinn reply with,
“That is good to hear. Make sure to take care of yourself. We wouldn’t want Damien breaking and killing others on your accord,” if Penny wasn’t mistaken, there was a taunt behind her words which Penny had no idea about. Lady Maggie’s words left many clueless as she had never been present for what had transpired last night, “Excuse me,” she said, placing her napkin on the table and getting up from her seat with a small smile on her face.
Kissing her father’s cheek, she again excused herself and left the room.
There was a marred worry that was on her forehead, looking at the lady. Looking back at the plate, it appeared that she had started and finished only half of her meal while wasting the rest of it which was left untouched.
“Would you like some toast?”
Damien’s voice interrupted her thoughts and her eyes fell on him where he sat next to her holding the bread in his hand, “Butter?” he asked her.
It was the first time for Penny to sit at the long table. It was the first for her to sit at any table. Her mother and she didn’t own a table. At her relative’s home, it was her uncle who sat at the table while the remaining two of them sat down on the ground. This might have been one of the reasons why she didn’t feel that affected when she was asked to sit on the marble floor here.
“I can do that,” she said, taking the bread from his hand and starting to butter it.
When the bread was buttered well enough, she went to place it on Damien’s plate but he caught hold of her wrist and took a bite from it, “I don’t eat butter,” he murmured as if meaning to say for her to eat the rest of it.
Not complaining right now, she took a bite from the same loaf of bread. As she continued to eat her bread, she saw Senior Mr. Quinn leave the room but with no words to impart to leave the couple alone with a maid who was getting the fruits which were peeled five minutes ago.
“Did something happen?” Penny asked Damien who was eating his breakfast.
“Like what?” he questioned her back.
“I don’t know…It feels like something is wrong. Lady Maggie’s words,” Penny trailed. Seeing the lack of enthusiasm he showed, she asked him again, “What did you do?”
“Pulling out decayed tooths. More butter?” he picked up the butter in his hand for her to shake her head. Something did happen.
“What do you mean by that?” she continued to ask without getting an answer.
“We had some family words and some punishment for what happened yesterday,” said Damien, ignoring the fruits that were peeled out, he picked a fresh unpeeled apple to start cutting it out with the knife, “Did you think I would sit back and watch you getting insulted not only publicly but also physically abused?”
No, she didn’t think so. Penny had at least established so much in understanding this man that he was not the kind of person to sit still. If he did that would not be Damien Quinn.
“What were the words?” asked Penny continuing to look at him and not the bunny apples which were being cut by him. With her currently involved in the matter, she believed that she deserved to know as everything had happened because of her.
Damien hummed, his posture laid back and she didn’t have to know that he had crossed his legs under the table. His hands rested on the edge of the table as he continued with his handiwork. What happened that the women of the Quinn had stood up in the intention to not have their meal any longer in this dining room?
“When the first generation of pureblooded vampires came into the picture, those people set up something called family rules,” there was a light scraping sound that could be heard coming from the knife and the apple, “The rules were placed because there were some of them who could not keep in their thirst in control and when humans were bought they were killed by not the buyer but also the others which was when the rules were implemented. Not every house follows, it is just some of them now. The old generation of vampires who still exist. Now many families have different kind which varies from one another. Do you follow me so far?”
He then said, “Grace broke the rule and she had to bear the consequences for it.”
