The walk down the long, cold hallway of the Volkov mansion felt like a walk to a graveyard. Leo followed Dante, his eyes fixed on the broad, powerful shoulders of the man in front of him. Dante was dressed in a sharp, black suit now. He looked like a king again, but a king who was ready for war.
Two large guards stood at the end of the hall. When they saw Dante, they bowed their heads quickly. They were afraid. Leo could feel the fear in the air. It was thick and heavy. Dante didn't say a word. He just pushed open the heavy steel doors that led to the private meeting room.
Inside, the room was dark and smelled like old cigars and cold stone. A man was tied to a chair in the middle of the room. He was beaten and bloody. When he saw Dante enter, he started to shake.
"Dante... please," the man whispered. His voice was cracked and weak. "I have a family. I didn't mean to tell Enzo anything. They threatened me!"
Dante didn't answer. He walked over to a table and picked up a pair of black leather gloves. He pulled them on slowly, one finger at a time. The sound of the leather stretching was the only noise in the room. He turned to Leo, who was standing by the door, frozen with terror.
"Come here, Leo," Dante said. It wasn't a request. It was a command.
Leo's legs felt like lead, but he walked forward. He stopped a few feet away from the tied-up man. He recognized him. It was one of the guards who had been at the gate when Leo first arrived.
"This man was paid to leave the back door unlocked last night," Dante said, his voice as cold as ice. He looked at Leo, his eyes searching Leo's face. "He is the reason someone was outside our bedroom door. He is the reason your life was in danger."
Leo looked at the guard. He felt a wave of anger, but he also felt sick. As a doctor, he was trained to save lives, not to watch them be destroyed. "What are you going to do to him?" Leo asked, his voice trembling.
Dante stepped closer to Leo. He was so tall that Leo had to look way up to see his face. Dante reached out and touched Leo's cheek with a gloved hand. The leather felt cold and strange against Leo's warm skin.
"In my world, there is only one punishment for a rat," Dante whispered. He looked at the guard again. "But I want you to choose, Leo. Should I be merciful because you are a doctor? Or should I be the devil because he tried to hurt you?"
The room went silent. The guard started to cry, begging for his life. Leo felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. He looked at the bloody man, and then he looked at Dante. He realized that Dante was testing him. Dante wanted to see if Leo was strong enough to stay by his side.
"I... I don't want anyone to die," Leo managed to say. "But he can't stay here. He is a danger to everyone."
Dante nodded slowly. A dark light shined in his eyes. He turned to his guards. "Take him to the docks. Break his hands so he can never hold a gun again. Then throw him out of France. If he ever returns, kill him."
The guards dragged the screaming man out of the room. When the door slammed shut, the silence returned. Dante turned back to Leo. He stepped into Leo's space, pinning him against the cold stone wall.
"You are too kind, Leo," Dante growled, his face inches away. "That kindness will get you killed in this house. You think you saved him, but you just gave him a slow death. Out there, without my protection and without his hands, he is nothing."
Dante gripped Leo's waist and pulled him close. Leo could feel the heat of Dante's body through their clothes. The intimidation was back, but there was also that strange, addictive pull.
"You need to learn how to be a Volkov," Dante said, his thumb tracing Leo's bottom lip. "You are my doctor, but you are also my partner. From now on, you don't look away. You watch everything I do. Do you understand?"
Leo nodded, unable to speak. He was scared of Dante, but he was also starting to realize that he needed Dante's darkness to survive the war that was coming.
"Good," Dante said. He leaned down and kissed Leo, a hard, possessive kiss that tasted like power and danger. "Now, let's go. We have a meeting with the rest of the family. They need to know that you are untouchable.