Penny looked at her hands and his hands which now came to hold, linking with his fingers. She was sure it was going to work, sure because it was tested on the open wound as well as the tree which had wilted due to weather to be brought back to life. She had been eagerly waiting for Damien to return back so that she could get rid of the corruption but she didn't know it was going to fail like this without a sliver of effect. 

"You know, truth to be told, I don't mind the corruption one bit," he said, gaining her attention. She lifted her head to look into his eyes which was close right now, "Having the corrupted heart is good in a way where the potion will never work on me."

"But the smoke did," she pointed out, her hand clutching to his.

"Just a bit of smoke. You cannot break something which is already broken. It wouldn't make sense, it is the law of nature," he explained to her, "And having a corrupted heart has its own perks. I am much stronger, durable," he winked his eyes, "I see things and hear from a different perspective."

"Different perspective?"

"Yes," Damien answered her, "Every time corruption has taken place, people don't have the time to wait and watch. They usually ascend directly to the death zone where they are killed once they are spotted," this brought the worry back in Penny's eyes, "My case is different from the rest. You won't find a corrupted man who is free, also Creed was one of the corrupted cases in the council who often wore an eye patch. I don't think anyone ever found out that he was corrupted."

"But aren't the bodies examined before they are cremated during scenes?" she asked him.

"Of course, they are. He was screened by Murkh too but by the time the body reached the laboratory of the council, both his eyes were squeezed leaving on the squished ones behind," Penny made a face hearing that.

"Was it like that before too? When you went to check," he shook his head over her question. 

"Nope. It was done by someone else."

"J-just like that?" 

"Just like that," he confirmed making the event appear to be something unbelievable, "Sounds strange?" he asked her.

"Very," she said and suddenly Damien had picked her up from his lap and put her on the bed before going to hover over her.

Penny laid on her back, staring back at him. 

"Were you playing with the potions?" he asked her, his hands starting to unb.u.t.ton the s.h.i.+rt. 

"Was I not supposed to?" Penny asked as if she had no clue at all. 

"You didn't know that?" Damien asked her, giving her an equal surprised look. Penny gulped seeing him pull out his s.h.i.+rt from his body, "How shall I punish you for this today, mouse? Shall we go out and do it on the patio?"

Her heart jumped, getting stuck in her throat at his words. Leaning down he nipped her lips that had her hissing in pain. Taking her bottom lip in his mouth, he sucked hard on it, gnawing and biting it until she felt it turn numb. 

"Shall we try it?" he questioned it against her lips, kissing it again and looking into her eyes, "Or shall we try a different position today," his hand ran from her thigh up to her waist, pus.h.i.+ng the dress up as he moved his hand before it traveled to the curve of her breast.

He kissed her neck, nibbling the skin and then using his teeth to bite her neck and Penny's hands gripped on Damien's shoulder. 

She then heard him ask her against the sh.e.l.l of her ear, "You were working in the theater, right...Do you know what a night theater is in the world of vampires?" hearing her heartbeat skip, a wicked smile made its way on his face, "What an innocent mouse I have. I am taking that you have been there..."

"I-I went there just once."

Pulling back to look at her face that stared back at him with eyes that were getting riled up with his words, he said, "Where is that liquid of yours? I am sure we will need holy water on you too. What did you see there?" he questioned her, enjoying seeing her being cornered where he was ready to plant another punishment for both of their benefits. 

"What did you see there?" she questioned him back, earning a chuckle from him. 

"I saw a lot of things. I can show you right here," he said, his voice turning an octave lower, his hands running inside her skirt as it touched her smooth leg. One-touch and she was putty in his hands. Penny s.h.i.+vered under his touch and before he could go any further she went to roll to get away from him not wanting to fall into his trap, "Where do you think you're going?" Damien raised both his eyebrows while holding her thigh, his grip which was firm and warm he squeezed it, "You know what, I know exactly what can cure the corruption of my heart."

"You do?" she asked intently.

"How about I take a bite from my lovely mouse. More than a bite, let me gobble you," he spoke like the devil who had come to take her soul away. Saying this he stole a few more kisses from her lips, "There's a theater which is specially made for just the pureblooded vampires. Let's go there."

Penny shook her head immediately to a no, "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to," she said, averting her eyes away from him. The night theater wasn't popular amongst the lower society of people as they didn't know what the night creatures were up to and what things went by without their notice. But with them being here in the mansion, she couldn't imagine how people would look at them. The embarra.s.sment, oh G.o.d, thought Penny to herself.