Penny stayed in Damien's arms as long as he needed to know that she was still alive and breathing. They had never gone through something like this before. To have her almost die and to come back again to life. It made her wonder if she did die when Damien had sucked the blood out of her body. With the force he had been drawing the blood out, she knew it was bound to happen but that was also the initial idea which was why she hadn't stopped him.
To see him in pain, it had squeezed her heart. Killing the rabbits for him to drink blood from felt like it was nothing. If his corruption would have increased, there was no telling how many more bodies he would be killing and where they would have to bury it. She was glad that in the end, they were both fine.
But Damien was still trying to reel in the truth that Penny had died to only come back alive.
After Penny had left his side in an attempt to bring him food, he didn't know when he had slipped into the darkness. He came back to his consciousness only when Penny's body had gone limp and his fangs had touched her skin without piercing it through. The corruption somehow had stopped but that didn't mean it didn't affect him internally. Physically the damage had gone one step further, pushing the corruption of the core of his heart further.
To find the one you love lifeless and dead without moving had torn his heart, his mind going into shock before trying to apparate back again to Valeria which had finally worked with the little amount of blood.
Damien didn't care about many things and if he did, he cared for them to the point where he wouldn't mind placing himself first to take the blow. At the same time, there weren't many people for whom he was ready to do it.
Penelope was the woman he had loved in his life, to fall in love and to have her in his life. He cared for her dearly and though he often bullied her, she was only his to bully and not for others to tamper with.
When Damien was young, his mother had gifted him a toy that existed to this date which was now lying in the cupboard. Things he loved were always treasured and to think at that moment today that Penny was not alive, he didn't know what he would have done without her.
He had checked her pulse, checked her heart by placing his hand and ear on his chest but there was nothing for the initial seconds and finally, when he did, he could not tell how relieved he was. To Damien, Penny was everything, his very life that he had attached to her. He had loved her to the point where he didn't know if he could take another step forward without her. Having been so used to her presence now, bantering and talking, kissing and touching her in ways only he knew he didn't know if he could go ahead without her in his life.
Pulling away, he said, "Let me go have Martin prepare something for you to eat.
Rest until then," he said, leaning forward, he pressed his lips on her forehead that lingered on her skin for a long time before he let go of her.
Penny saw Damien step out of the room in search of the butler while she tried lying back down in her back on the bed. Her body felt weak and felt slightly nauseous right now. She wondered how long it would take before she would be able to feel better. The only person who had taken blood from her was Damien but today had turned out to be more.
Looking down at her hand, she saw the bandage around her arm which was wrapped gently. Not too tight nor too loose.
By the time Damien had arrived back at the room with food, he caught Penny staring at the ceiling of the room. Her eyes snapping to look at him, a smile blooming on her lips. Penny's arms were weak along with her body due to which Damien fed her with the spoon and food. Food that was digestible that wasn't going to be heavy on her stomach.
Once she was done, he had the butler take away the empty dishes while having them alone in the room again. Penny was too tired and when her head touched the surface of the pillow she fell asleep quickly to a dark dreamless sleep.
"Is she alright?" asked Alexander when Damien had stepped out of the room after three hours of watching Penny sleep. Monitoring her breathing and heartbeat to make sure there was no hitch in it.
"Yes, she's resting at the moment. She will need as much sleep as possible," Damien answered his cousin.
"Come, let's take a walk outside," proposed the Lord and they took themselves outside, walking in circles around the mansion, "I thought you had enough blood today," said Alexander, his eyes having a look of concern in it.
"I thought I did too. Usually, two glasses are more than sufficient to move around but I think corruption has only been inching closer and closer wanting to complete it?" Damien wasn't sure why it happened. Unless he was hungry and thirsty for blood this shouldn't have happened but it did.
"If it were for completion you would have a higher side effect. Maybe you need a higher dosage of blood in your system. You were reckless to not drink more," Alexander gave Damien a pointed look.
Alexander was the eldest between him and Damien, he couldn't help but be worried about Damien. Damien lived the way he wanted but he had to make sure to not live the way he had been living.
"I didn't know it was going to be bad. I have survived with two glasses of blood and who knew the bastard warden was going to give me falsified pills."
"The pills that the church uses are a replacement and it should work just like any other blood. I don't think the warden gave you the right supplements. If they were brought from the black market, it is possible that they were not genuine. And maybe not made by the white witches. I will have some of them ordered here so that you can make use of it if ever you need blood in the future. It will help to keep the blood l.u.s.t at bay."