Fractured Brotherhood (Devil's Knights 2nd Generation 7)

Chapter Sixteen

Tess

I had watched Zag talk to Zig and another man who looked like an older version of both Zig and Zag. Obviously, their dad.

I wasn’t sure why they had all appeared at my front door, but I was too chicken to open my door and ask them what they were doing.

I had dropped down when Zag had looked directly at me, and now, I was frozen behind the door.

Maybe they would all leave, and I could eat my garlic bread dinner by myself.

That would be ideal.

A knock sounded on the door, and I clamped my eyes shut.

“Tess,” Zag called through the door. He knocked again.

I balled my hands and held them to my chest.

I didn’t know what I wanted.

I had been thinking about Zag a lot, but now that he was at my door, I wasn’t sure what to do.

“Tess.”

I opened my eyes and cringed.

Do something, Tess!

I grabbed the door handle and whipped open the door. My hand shot back to my chest and balled up again.

Zag stood on my doorstep while I did my best t-rex impersonation. Brilliant.

This was the first time I had seen Zag up close in the light.

He was hot. So hot.

There was no other way to put it.

His hair was dark and cut short. His eyes were dark green, his skin tanned, and his jaw looked like it had been chiseled from stone. He had a few scrapes and cuts on his face and a bandage on his forearm.

His eyes slowly moved over me. We both were seeing each other for the first time.

It was so strange to go through something so terrifying with someone and not even know what they looked like.

At least for me, Zag more than lived up to what I imagined him to look like. I had seen him for the one minute that Malcom had turned the light on, but it had taken a bit for my eyes to adjust to the light that I didn’t really get a good look at him.

Now I truly was.

Once I made it past his handsome face, I took in his black leather vest with his name embroidered on it and a dark blue t-shirt beneath. He was wearing distressed jeans with rips at the knees and black boots.

“Do you approve?”

My head snapped up, and my eyes connected with his. “Uh.”

His eyes were twinkling with mischief, and a smile curved his lips. “Well?”

“Y-y-you’ll do.” I closed my eyes and wished for the floor to swallow me whole.

His deep, rich laugh sounded around me.

I opened my eyes and pasted a smile on my face.

“Are we back to you barely talking to me?” he asked.

Yes. Most certainly. It was one thing to be trapped in a pitch-black room with him than to be in standing in front of him within the light of day.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

I stepped to the side and held the door open wide.

He stepped inside, and I had no clue what to do.

“Nice place,” he commented.

It was. I nodded dumbly.

There were a ton of things I wanted to say, but I couldn’t get any of them out of my mouth.

What are you doing here?

How did you find me?

Are you okay?

How are we both not dead?

Is Malcom going to try to find us?

If he could find me, was Malcom going to be able to?

Not one of those questions I could get out.

A ding sounded from the kitchen, and I bit my bottom lip.

“Dinner?” he asked.

If you could even call it that. “Y-yes.”

Zag smiled. “You mind if I join you?”