Chapter 12: The First Breakfast

I didn't move.

I couldn't. My cheek was pressed against the warm, firm muscle of Enzo’s chest, my body draped over his, the thin lace of my bra the only barrier between our skin. The steady, rhythmic beep of the heart monitor was the only sound in the sterile medical room, a metronome counting out the fragile seconds of his life.

My tears had dried, leaving a salty tightness on my cheeks, but the terror was still a cold knot in my stomach. I had almost watched him die. I had almost lost the monster who had ruined my life. And the worst part? The thought of him dying had fractured something deep inside my chest.

Enzo’s breathing shifted. His chest rose deeper, and his hands—which had been slack around my waist—slowly tightened.

"Sarah?" His voice was a dry, broken rasp.

I lifted my head, looking up at him. His dark eyes were open, hazy with pain and confusion, but they locked onto mine with an immediate, terrifying clarity. He looked down at my bare back, at the red marks where my dress had been, and then back at my face.

"What happened?" he demanded, his voice gaining a rough edge. "Where is Victoria?"

"She got away," I whispered, my voice trembling. "The bomb went off. I got Isabella out."

His jaw clenched, a flash of murderous rage crossing his face before he forced it down. He tried to sit up, hissing in pain as the movement pulled at the fresh stitches in his side.

"Don't move," I said, pressing my hands against his shoulders. "You flatlined, Enzo. You died for three seconds."

He froze. His eyes searched mine, and the rage slowly bled away, replaced by a deep, haunted shadow. "And you brought me back."

I nodded, a fresh wave of tears spilling over my cheeks. "I had to."

Dr. Aris cleared his throat from the doorway. I flinched, suddenly acutely aware that I was half-naked, straddling the Godfather. I scrambled to pull away, but Enzo’s hands locked around my wrists like steel manacles.

"Stay," he ordered softly.

Dr. Aris walked back into the room, carrying a pristine white button-down shirt. He handed it to Enzo, his face entirely professional, though his eyes betrayed a deep worry.

"The bond is volatile, Enzo," Dr. Aris said, watching as Enzo draped the shirt over my shoulders, his fingers brushing my bare skin and sending a shiver down my spine. "You are living on borrowed time. The medication is out of your system, and the neurological decay is accelerating. You know what needs to be done."

Enzo’s jaw tightened. He didn't look at the doctor. He just stared at me, his dark eyes burning with a terrifying, possessive hunger.

"I know," Enzo said, his voice low and dangerous.

Dr. Aris nodded, clearly sensing the heavy tension in the room. "I'll leave you to rest. I'll have food brought up." He turned and walked out, closing the heavy door behind him.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

I was sitting on the edge of the bed, clutching the white shirt to my chest, my heart hammering against my ribs. Enzo lay back against the pillows, his chest bare and bruised, his dark eyes fixed on me like a predator watching its prey.

"You heard him," Enzo said, his voice rough.

"I heard him," I whispered.

"His biology requires absolute, complete physical intimacy," Enzo quoted, his eyes dropping to my lips. "The bond has to be consummated."

I swallowed hard, my face burning. "I'm not going to sleep with you just because you'll die if I don't."

A dark, dangerous smile curved his lips. "You won't have a choice, Sarah. Your body already knows it belongs to me."

"I don't belong to anyone," I shot back, though my voice lacked conviction.

Before he could respond, the door opened. A guard wheeled in a silver cart laden with breakfast. Fresh fruit, pastries, omelets, and a steaming pot of black coffee. The smell of it was almost overwhelming after the scent of blood and antiseptic.

Enzo didn't even look at the food. He was still staring at me.

"Eat," he ordered.

"I'm not hungry."

"Eat," he repeated, his voice dropping to that dangerous octave. "Or I will call Dr. Aris back in here and have him administer a feeding tube. Your choice."

I glared at him, but I reached for a pastry, taking a small bite. He watched me chew, his eyes tracking the movement of my jaw, the flick of my tongue. It was intensely unnerving and, despite everything, incredibly erotic.

"You took a bullet for me," I said softly, changing the subject.

His gaze didn't waver. "I would take a hundred."

"Why?"

He reached out, his large hand wrapping around my wrist. He pulled me closer until I was forced to sit on the edge of the bed, our knees brushing.

"Because you are the only thing in this godforsaken world that makes the noise stop," Enzo said, his voice raw. "You are the only thing that makes me feel human. If I lose you, Sarah, I lose my mind."

He leaned in, his nose brushing against mine. "And I will burn this world to ash before I let that happen."

The emotional weight of his words hit me like a physical blow. I was trapped with a monster, but the monster was desperately, obsessively in love with me. And I was slowly, terrifyingly falling into the dark abyss with him.

I couldn't stop myself. I leaned forward and kissed him.

It was different from the desperate, bloody kisses before. It was soft. Exploratory. He didn't push, didn't demand. He just kissed me back, his lips moving gently against mine, his hand sliding up my arm to cup the back of my neck.

The kiss deepened, the heat building, his tongue sweeping against mine. I moaned softly, pressing closer, my hands fisting in the white shirt. His hand slipped beneath the hem, his rough palm splaying across the bare skin of my back.

A sharp knock on the door shattered the moment.

Enzo pulled back, his eyes dark and breathing heavy. "What?" he barked.

Marcus stepped into the room, his face pale, a look of absolute horror in his eyes.

"Godfather," Marcus said, his voice trembling slightly. "I'm sorry to interrupt. But you have a problem."

Enzo's eyes narrowed. "What kind of problem?"

Marcus swallowed hard, holding up a tablet. "The heads of the five families. They've called an emergency summit. Victoria has already reached them. She's claiming you're dead... and that Sarah is the one who killed you.”