“That’s right,” Damien laughed still thinking about her running. As she removed the coat from her body he took a step close towards her, having her chin pulled up so that he could check her vital signs by looking into her green eyes. They looked back at him unwaveringly.
“What happened?” she asked him, her eyebrows raising at him.
“Just lookin’,” he responded back, leaning forward and pecking her lips.
Penny blinked back at him when he pulled away from her. Such a small kiss…came to mind when she saw him walking to the stand as he pulled the coat he had been wearing. Untying the belt around himself, he slipped the coat off his body and placed it on the stand.
He turned to look at her, feeling the feelings of disappointment form in her mind. He stared at her, his eyes smoldering dark and red in color, “You should get some sleep. We have a lot to do in the morning.”
He watched her walk towards the bed, climbing on it and getting inside the sheets. Today had been quite a day and she needed rest.
“Will you be sleeping too?” she asked him from where she was in the bed. Looking at him.
He smiled at her brightly, walking to the other side of the bed and he got inside, “What are you doing sleeping on that side after asking me to join you in the bed.”
“Master Damien, I meant to sleep. Don’t change my words as you please,” she corrected him. Even with the life with how things were going on, her heart continued to be at ease knowing there was someone who was going to be there as she would go through it.
“I am offended. I might possibly take the couch to sleep,” he spoke, his words coming out to be dramatic.
“Mhmm,” Penny agreed, “You can take the blanket along with you so that you don’t feel cold,” she said that had his eyes narrowing down at her.
“Who knew the mouse was cold and cruel to have me sleeping on the couch,” he picked up his pillow. Fluffing it up with his hand but instead of taking it along with him as he had proposed of sleeping on the couch, he placed the pillow closer to her. Letting both their pillows touch each other and he moved closer to her. Slipping back inside the cover, he saw the smile that was trying to break free from her lips.
“You’re not going to sleep on the couch?” she asked him.
He laughed at this, “Don’t look disappointed, darling. The weather is cold, we should try to exchange some heat between us. Don’t you think so?”
“Is that your way of saying you want to hold me?”
“Indeed it is. Do you like the proposal?” he asked and instead of waiting for her response, he pulled her by her waist. Bringing her close to him so that he could look at her more closely.
“I won’t put the cat out of its bed,” her words turned out mellow. He kissed the top and tip of her nose.
“This cat feels very fortunate to have the mouse allowed to sleep on the bed,” they both chuckled at this. As fast the smile had come on her lips, she couldn’t help but worry about what the future held for her or them, “Everything will be alright,” he assured her.
“Life was much simpler before but I appreciated it less,” she said, her hands tracing the texture of the shirt that he wore. Back in those times, she had thought it was difficult, on how hard life was but the further she moved the more trivial those things looked, “Will it be?” she asked him back.
“Like everything, this too shall pass. Even in the darkest days of Bonelake, the sun peeks somewhere in some part of the land. And if it doesn’t, then you light the candle yourself. You don’t need to wait for the sun. You carve your own path,” his thumb ran over her cheek, brushing it carefully to feel the softness beneath his own finger.
“When did you turn like this?” she blurted out.
“Special Damien isn’t for everyone. It is just for special ones,” saying this he winked, “Get some sleep now, mouse. I don’t want a panda or a ghost in the bed. Even though I would accept you how you are, you know how ghosts look,” she shook her head. Damien Quinn, she whispered in her mind.
Her head tucked below his chin, she let herself be held by him. With what happened, she was too tired to fight the already existing feelings that had made an appearance. She knew there was no turning back but then she didn’t plan to turn back or away from him.
The next few days that arrived, Damien was busy with the council work. A lot had happened. One of the councilmen had been exposed to letting his own sister and brother-in-law take the fall in one of the cases which involved the four black witches.
But that wasn’t all, councilman Lionel’s team had caught hold of the switcher who had been impersonating one of them for their own benefit. Strangely it wasn’t just one but there had been two switches in there. Though not everyone knew about the matter, the higher-ups and some of the councilmen had received the news on it.
From what he heard from the head council, it was Lady Vivian who was part of councilman Lionel’s team who had got the case closed. By now his doubt on the woman’s ability was no more a doubt but had turned to a confirmation. Unlike Penny who was being attacked, once now, the lady appeared to be doing fine and so was the Duke who was with her.
There was no news from the church regarding the scavengers which they had encountered and the notes which Penny would need was brought to the mansion without having her to stay too long in the church.
