The man didn't know her and to speak words like that towards her, her hand had itched so bad that she couldn't help but slap him. 

Damien, on the other hand, didn't appear to be amused with what Mr. Reverale had spoken about Penny. The man was known to use such elaborate words to describe a woman's body in front of the woman but Penny was not any woman. She was his woman. But Mr. Reverale mistook Damien's expression as if he were unhappy with his slave's reaction. 

Mr. Reverale took one step forward towards Penny but before he could reach out to her, Damien had raised his hand to Penny's side as if to block the man. The man looked confused at Damien,

"Don't tell me you are one of those men who get attached to their slaves and listen to their beck and call," Reverale spat the words out while rubbing his jaw. 

"What word of 'She is not a slave' didn't get through the thick brain of yours?" Damien didn't mind that Penny had slapped Reverale. It was much better than him slapping or beating him up. There was no better insult than getting slapped by a woman to a man. He could see how it hurt the man's ego right now. 

"I don't think he has a brain, to begin with," Penny blurted out and it turned the man furious. His expression suddenly turned vile. He looked ready to drag this slave and show her where she belonged. 

The people around them and people who were far away looking at the show couldn't help but snicket, enjoying what was going on. After all, who cared who was right or wrong. The people there thrived on gossip. They were the leeches of the society who spread rumors which were usually baseless and right now they couldn't wait to spread the word on what was happening. 

"Take another step towards her and I will make sure you will never be able to walk ever again," Damien said looking at Reverale. His red eyes looking at the other pureblooded vampire cooly. 

The man unable to move forward, gritted his teeth, "You're shameful, Damien. Being a pureblooded vampire you support a slave who is beneath our feet," he continued without taking in Damien's words that Penelope was not a slave, "What is it? Puppy love? The days we all see where the biggest creature falls down." 

"And the days I come to realize how dumb a pureblooded vampire can be. I don't think you were listening," Damien raised his hand to tap on the side of his ear.

"She.is.not.a.slave," finally Mr. Reverale looked at Damien, his words sinking in for him to look back at the girl. 

"What do you mean? Did you change her status?" The man looked taken aback with the information that the slave girl was not a slave anymore. It wasn't usual but status could be changed through paper filing and doc.u.ments which was supposed to be submitted to the council for an appeal. 

He wondered if Damien had gone to the council to change her status from being a slave to the lady now. Especially with the way she looked, he could feel his mouth water at the sight of her. 

"You can figure that yourself. We are in a hurry and have somewhere else to go at the moment. And yes!" Damien stopped by before they would walk away from the man, "Apply something on your cheek. Fingerprints of the five digits don't look pretty," with that they left Mr. Reverale behind and continued to walk through the streets. The people who had paused their work continued to resume what they were doing and going on their way. 

Penny was quiet. No words coming out of her mouth. After a few minutes pa.s.sed Damien asked, 

"How is your hand?"

"It hurts," she suddenly took his hand and walked to one of the smallest alleys so that no would look at them before saying, "This wouldn't have happened if you told everyone that I wasn't a slave and if you had let me free from the beginning."

"Why does it feel like I am being blamed? Are we having the lover's first quarrel?" he asked her in a confused state. Minimizing the dramatic effect, he said, "Would you have stayed if I asked you to stay with me. In the mansion and in my room? Freeing you was not an option then."

Penny closed her eyes, feeling the anger she felt dissipate and fizzle out of her mind. Her temper had risen and gone just like that. Thanks to Damien, "I don't like him."

"I don't like him either," Damien admitted about Mr. Reverale. 

"I didn't mean to-"

"I know," Damien smiled, pulling her arm towards him, he took her in his arms and hugged her. What had happened in the past was done and they had moved on from the master-slave relations.h.i.+p. Damien had done what he was supposed to do and maybe if it weren't for him she would have been another man's slave who would have mistreated and abused her by now, "I actually enjoy the little rant and was waiting for you to go on," he looked at her disappointedly. 

"You might be the first one to say something like that to me. No one enjoys listening to people complain," she pulled back to give him a weird look. She then muttered, "Why do I feel like you always find ways to hug me."

"As I grew up I was told not to miss opportunities in doing what you love doing the most," he answered.

"Who told that?"

"Myself, of course."