"I think I understand where you are coming from. I bought a slave myself, she's beautiful,"  agreed Robarte, his eyes glancing towards Penny where their eyes met. Her green eyes sparkled from the rest of her face. 

"That's good to hear. Now if you'll excuse us," said Damien, grabbing Penny by her arm and taking her outside the hall. Penny not knowing what was up didn't go to question him but finally, when they did come to stand somewhere more secluded than the rest of the floor, he said,

"We need to do something about people knowing that you belong to me. Don't look at me like that," said Damien with his eyes narrowed with an unhappy expression. Looking at the people who were walking by, he raised two fingers of his so that she would pick one.

"What is this?" she asked, looking at his elegant fingers that were much better looking than her own. Master Damien sure did take care of himself well. 

"You either get a collar or a mark," Damien's deadpanned voice came out, a little impatient. Penny on the other side suddenly felt her stomach dropping where the little color that had appeared on her face left her face hearing him give her the options. 

A collar was usually tied for animals, for pets which made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She was in no sense an animal that was supposed to be tied, "I am not an animal, Master Damien," her heart sunk at the state she was in. 

"Alright then. You will be marked," he declared raising bells in her mind. 

"What? No!" she stepped away from him. Taking another step away as if it made much difference, she received a dead look from him. 

"You are here where I am therefore making it lucky. If we were in another person's house today, you would have been bitten and left dry after the last drop of your blood was taken out of your body. Not all vampires are as nice as me who bothers to give you options-"

"Let me free then." 

Though they weren't outside in the garden or on the bridge, Penny could feel the chillness started to creep around them with the mere look Damien gave her. His eyes turned cold and vacant which made her heart shudder. 

"Don't test me, Penelope. I am usually in the worst mood during this time of the year. I am not a patient man, I have the worst patience unless you haven't noticed it," spoke Damien, his eyes that looked empty. 

Penny didn't know what she said was wrong and though she wanted to voice her opinion, she was scared. Nonetheless, with a huge effort, she tried to speak as he had told her last week that he didn't mind her speaking her mind out with him, "Master Damien, if you don't want any harm to befall on me you can choose to not take me to the places that are unsafe." 

"Would you like to rot in my room? But even the rooms aren't safe. You see, I don't trust people that easily. I have trust issues especially when it comes to slaves but I am willing to put my trust in you but not in your safety. Do you follow what I am saying?" he asked staring right at her, "Don't worry. I am not going to mark you with burning hot iron like the establishment. You either choose to pick a collar that you will wear around your neck or you be marked. What do you pick?" 

It seemed like Damien was giving her no choice at all. In the spare seconds of time that pa.s.sed by, Penny couldn't help wondering if her possible escape from the mansion this night would work the way she thought it would. 

She didn't know what mark Damien was speaking of. If it weren't for the hot iron how else would he mark her to make it known that she was his slave? Somewhere she had thought in the room that he felt somewhere human but right now it felt as if they had gone back to square one. 

Seeing Penny who was thinking hard on what he said, Damien could see the internal turmoil in her eyes, "What are you afraid of? Do you not trust me?" his eyes turned to observe her further, her face his eyes the way it dilated, her little heart that was beating in her chest. 

"I..." Penny trailed not knowing what to do. Damien was expecting an answer from her right now without any delay. 

Thinking back on what happened earlier in the hall, Penny realized the way Damien treated her while how the other slave masters and mistresses treated their slaves. He was somewhat right. Even though Penny didn't deserve this life, none of the slaves did. 

No one deserved any kind of bad lives but life pushed them into it which none of them could help but they had to live with it. Hoping for the ray of light to s.h.i.+ne which would lead them to the path of the betterment of life. No slaves deserved to be treated the way they were but that was how a slave's life was. To be beaten, to lick their master's boots, to please them and take the insults that were pa.s.sed down to them. That was a slave's life was which none could escape. 

And then when she looked at Damien, she realized he was much better when compared to the others. 

Penny lowered her eyes, deciding what to pick before she came to say, "I...."