Author: Giving an early Ma.s.s RELEASE of 5 chapters, the remaining chapters will be posted on Christmas. Good job guys, we ended in #2 position last week.

Back in the room, Damien sipped the blood tea which Falcon had got to the room. Down with one cup, he drank another cup while Penny looked at him in silence. 

Damien hadn't let go of the cup. It was like a moth who stuck on to the wall without letting it go as he continued to drink taking his own time but not quickly as he did with the first cup. "Did Grace and you have a spat last week that she keeps picking on you?" he asked licking the remnants of the blood on his lips with his tongue. 

"I haven't done anything to offend her, master Damien," Penny answered wondering if it was for the sole reason of her being Damien's slave that Grace had decided to target her every time she was found alone. 

"It must be because of me then," he smiled which wasn't a.s.suring for Penny at all, "She loves the family too much to let her nosey self keep out of others business. What would you have done if I didn't arrive down today? Ready to gulp some good old thick blood of a dead person?" Damien played with the edge of the empty teacup which was next to him. Running his finger round and round in a slow-motion, delicately. 

"I hoped you did," actually Penny had prayed hoping for him to be there to remove her from the sticky spot. 

"Hope is good to hold on to, but the question was what you would have done if I didn't come. Obviously you haven't forgotten the twist on your arm that took place a few days ago," Penny didn't need reminding on that one. Though the memory of the sharp pain that had taken place that night which was now fading, she knew how much her arm had stretched thanks to Grace, "Were you planning to drink it?"

"That would be the worst-case scenario."

"What was the last second worst-case scenario?"

The second last? There was only one there and as much as she thought that maybe she could get through it, she wondered now if she really could, "Tell me," she heard him coax her as if already aware of the stupid ideas that her mind came up with. 

"Would letting it spill 'by mistake' be too much?" Penny asked him, waiting for him to reply back to her second last option of not having to drink the blood tea. 

"Well with the way Grace handled the teacup I am sure anyone can spill the tea but I should say all of this could have been avoided with one single solution."

There was a solution to all these? "What solution?" asked Penny.

"The mark which I can leave on you which will keep me aware of what is going on at any point in time. I can sense your emotions much more freely. Fear, panic, hate and many other emotions can be picked from afar. What do you say? Ah ah," he raised his hand before she could refuse, "Don't jump so quickly to conclusions. Think about it carefully. The next time there's someone bothering you, all I need to do is tap on your current emotions."

"Is that equal to breaching the mind?" Master Damien already had a hold of her life when it came to freedom. Though when she thought deeper about it, there were only advantages of being next to him than surviving by herself. 

"Everything has it's pro's and con's, Penelope. You cannot expect everything to be pure. Even water catches dust particles on its surface over time," Damien stood up from his chair, uncuffing his cufflinks and folding the sleeves up to his elbows, "It is going to be good for you than for me. I gain nothing from it," he smiled, his eyes twinkling looking at her. 

But Penny knew somewhere that was not all to it. This mark, a vampire could put any mark as they wished.

"Allow me to help you, Penelope. If you only doubt you are only causing yourself more harm," seeing the reluctance evident in Penny's eyes as she tried to come up with the right conclusion Damien then said, "Don't cry that I didn't advise and warn you," he turned, heading towards the closet when she said,

"Wait," A smile came to form on Damien's lips which Penny couldn't see as his back faced her right now. It was a scheming smile which only his shadows had seen at rare times. Schooling his features, he turned to face her. 

"Did you decide?" 

"This mark, what other things does it do? Can you explain it to me?" She asked him to make sure to know what she was getting herself into. 

"Hmm. Apart from your emotions and your presence on where you are which I have no need for as I will still be able to find you. That is all it is when it comes to the mark I will place on you. The bond between you and me."

The way Damien smiled at her right now, a secretive smile that didn't exactly breakthrough his lips but there was certain secrecy as he looked at her which made her wonder how much she could trust this man. Trust was broken in ways that she questioned if it was possible to trust a person again but at the same time, the alter self couldn't stop to ask if the man had broken his word until now. 

"It will bind you to me," he said, his eyes turning gradually cold and serious.

"Bind me as in your slave forever?" she asked him. Penelope knew with her being under Damien's shelter now, there wasn't going to much difference where she would have to continue serving him. At the same thought, she asked him with doubt, "Master Damien, will I not be allowed to have a family of my own?" 

Damien let out a hearty laugh, "Of course, you can. It would be rude of me to deny you a family. With your relatives who turned to be filthy creatures, I am sure you don't mean them," receiving no response from her and taking it as a yes, he said, "You can take me as your family. I am your master and you are my pet. It is the best family one can expect to have."