Recommended music: Studio Ghibli Summer Night Piano Collection With Nature Sounds Piano.
Go to time: 53:19
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The other members of the family didn’t know what had transpired except for the fingers being cut by Damien as they were unaware, unlike the butler who had witnessed the scene where the other man had squeezed Lady Penelope’s neck.
Without having any mood to exchange words with anyone, Damien took hold of Penny’s hand and dragged her up to his room. Making her sit on the bed, he pulled the chair which was near the desk, making it face her.
In Penny’s mind, she could still hear the booming voice of Damien which he had used earlier in the hall while questioning her. In a blink of an eye, Damien disappeared and appeared in front of her, holding snow in his hand. Picking out his clean kerchief from his pocket, he placed the ice and sat down on the chair in front of her.
“Hold this,” he said, giving the snowpack to her. With both his hands, he raised her face up so that he could look at the wounds. A serious expression marring his face as he stared at her neck. His eyes moved across her skin to see the handprint which had turned darker by the time and would only turn darker.
His fingers traced her neck, the sharp red lines that ran on both the sides which made her flinch when his thumb ran on it.
“Don’t do that,” she said looking up at the ceiling of the room as he had raised her chin up.
“Apologies,” he responded back, leaning closer, he placed a warm kiss on the lines that had formed. His lips pressing on her skin, “The scr.a.p.e like lines should be gone by tomorrow,” he said pulling back. The finger marks would take three to four days to disappear.
Taking the snowpack from her, he placed it on her neck, “What happened?” asked Damien after he was done chopping the man’s fingers which brought a small smile on her lips, “What’s funny?”
She shook her head, “You cut a man’s fingers without knowing what happened. What if I was wrong?” she questioned him.
“I would still have cut the person’s fingers for laying a finger on you,” he answered her. With the constant mischievous smile that was lacking on his lips, Penny could see he was in a bad mood.
“I am okay,” she said for him to look up from her neck to her eyes. His eyes were still black in color.
“I know. You will be fine around me. I won’t let anything happen to you,” his words warmed her heart. Who would have thought he had that kind of ability. It stirred something deep within her heart, making her eyes moist, “Is it hurting?” he asked, stopping his hand from pressing the pack of ice on her neck.
She took a deep breath before releasing it, leaning forward this time she kissed him on his lips, pulling away she smiled. She could see his expression hadn’t returned back to the usual one, “Can I ask you something?”
Seeing him not respond she continued to ask either way while his eyes looked at her curiously, “Do you…do you love me?” Penny didn’t break her gaze away from him. She didn’t know why the question popped into her mind suddenly but she wanted to know. For someone who didn’t care to see what happened and blindly support and protect her, Penny looked at him waiting for him to reply to her question.
“What if I said I did?” he asked her. Another question on a question, he then said, “I thought I already gave the answer to it a long time ago,” he did? Penny’s eyes moved to look into his eyes left and right.
Her heart shuddered, his words sinking into her mind. Of course.
He loved her and that is why he did things that he did, not because Damien Quinn enjoyed fingers. He did enjoy it but there was always more to his actions always.
For someone like her, and the background she came from where she had no family. No one to love and protect her, this man had unspokenly vowed to look after her. Caring for her like now as he went back to pressing the ice pack on her skin. Her heart moved over his actions.
Damien was brash with his actions and words, rude and pompous, a narcist vampire who could be overbearing. But at the same time somewhere deep down during the rare occasions, he was gentle with her. It made her wonder if he knew about it, and these moments usually came when his eyes turned black. Though he didn’t show it, the man had a deeper understanding of his surroundings than others. A pureblooded vampire who knew how to make rabbit apples to eat.
“Don’t get used to this,” she heard him say suddenly.
“What?”
“I can feel where your mind is wandering. I wish to bite you right now but it would be rude to do that,” he said with a frown. Penny laughed hearing this.
“Since when did Master Damien consider things to be rude?” she asked him with a smile.
“Since the master fell in love and found his woman to be hurt. Is it that surprising?” he questioned her.
“A little.”
“Do you want to get used to that? Me dotting on you?”
“Don’t you do that enough,” which was true, thought Penny to herself. He didn’t hold back his affections for her. Kissing her in public or teasing her.
Damien switched the pack to be placed on the other side, working on cooling her skin, “What brought upon this incident? Did he follow you here?” he asked her, “I need to know if what I did was less to what he did to you.”
“The carriage wheel broke on my way here and he happened to pass by with another lady. The exchange of words didn’t go well,” she concluded what happened, “Do you think you will fall into trouble for what you did?”
“Don’t worry about him. I have cut hundreds of fingers so far. And it isn’t like I do it for amus.e.m.e.nt,” seeing Penny stare at him, he corrected the sentence, “Not most of the time at least,” a smile finally falling on his lips.
