Leo was still lying down, staring up at the high, ornate ceiling of the penthouse. The morning light was beginning to crawl across the floor, but he didn't have the strength to move. His body felt heavy, his muscles aching from the intensity of the night before. He felt like a broken instrument that had been played too hard. Just yesterday, he was a surgeon with a schedule and a life; now, he was a marked man in a bed that didn't belong to him.
"You're awake," a deep voice rumbled.
Leo didn't turn his head. He knew that voice. He heard the heavy thud of boots on the marble floor, and then the shadow of Dante covered him. The Mafia Boss was already dressed in a sharp, dark suit, looking like he hadn't spent the night tearing Leo's world apart.
"I have a shift... at the hospital," Leo whispered to the ceiling. His voice was thin and raspy.
"No, you don't," Dante replied. He leaned over the bed, his face coming into Leo's field of vision. He looked down at the pale surgeon with a look that was both possessive and strangely protective. "I've taken care of the hospital. You aren't going anywhere today. Or tomorrow."
Leo finally looked at him, his eyes stinging. "You're keeping me here? Dante, you can't just—"
"I can do whatever I want with what is mine," Dante interrupted, his thumb tracing Leo's jawline. "But I have business to attend to. And since I cannot stay here to watch you, I've brought someone I trust."
Dante stepped back and gestured toward the door. A tall man stepped into the room. He was broad-shouldered with a calm, sharp face—this was Etienne. He didn't look like the typical "muscle" Dante kept around; he had the air of a silent predator, someone who had been trained for years.
"This is Etienne," Dante said. "My childhood friend and my most trusted hand. He is your shadow now, Leo. Where you go, he goes. If you need anything, you tell him. But if you try to leave this property, he has my permission to bring you back by any means necessary."
Dante leaned down one last time, pressing a firm kiss to Leo's forehead. "Rest. Etienne will take you to the gardens when you are ready to move."
With that, the Devil walked out of the room, leaving Leo alone with his new "shadow." Leo slowly sat up, the silk sheets sliding off his bruised chest. He looked at Etienne, who was standing by the door with a neutral expression.
"He's a monster," Leo muttered, his voice shaking with anger.
Etienne didn't flinch. "He's a man who has lost too much to take risks, Doctor. When you're ready, I'll show you the courtyard. The air might help clear your head."