Page 43 of Bright Like Midnight (Savage U)

He exhaled heavily through his nose while pinning me with a hard stare. “It doesn’t matter anymore, huh?”

If he kissed me right now, I would kiss him back, and not because I was his pet. The swirly, heady feeling he’d given me as my captor had never gone away. It had just lay dormant until I was in his presence again. I was such a cliché, the good girl who fell for bad boys.

“Amir…”

I didn’t know what he wanted me to say.

“Zadie,”—he pinched my chin between his fingers—“get the fuck outta my car.”

The way he said it, it was like he was reciting a love poem to me. Like a coo in my ear first thing in the morning. Soft, lilting, almost a song.

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Nope. I don’t need you tomorrow. I’ve got plans at night.” He shook my head gently. “Be good. Text me from your room.”

He let me go, and I ran inside. Helen and Theo were snuggled on the couch, and I assumed Elena was out since it was Friday and she was always out on Fridays. I tossed a wave at the two of them, then closed the door to my room and pressed my palm to my thundering heart.

I didn’t linger like that, though. Sitting on my bed, I snapped a picture of myself, rolling my eyes slightly to the side so he would get the message that I thought this whole tradition was silly.

MyCaptor:That’s my pretty girl. Don’t like the eye roll, but the rest is perfection. What a nice pet I have.

Me:Good night, Captor.

MyCaptor:Night, Zadie.

My stepbrother was a giant. At sixteen, Eli was at least six and a half feet tall, with boats for feet and baseball mitts for hands. Every time I saw him, I was taken aback for a few minutes until I accepted reality: he was my baby stepbro, but he’d always be way bigger than me. As such, he enjoyed palming the top of my head and moving me around like I was a stuffed animal and he was the claw in an arcade game.

My mom, on the other hand, was model slim, long legged, and pixie faced. She was dwarfed beside Eli. Seeing their mismatched heights across from me in the diner booth made my heart go pitter-patter. Ireallyneeded this visit. One hug from my mom, and all my troubles were a distant memory. She clung to me a little tighter than normal, which told me she’d needed the visit just as much.

We were having breakfast at the T, which was in Savage River’s cute downtown area. Mom and I planned on doing some shopping after. Plying Eli with food was the only way to get him to agree to hang.

“Have you heard from your dad?” Mom asked while cutting her pancakes.

“Yeah. We talked a few days ago.” I laid my fork down on my plate and patted my mouth with my napkin. “He joined a foraging club, so that’s how he’s spending his weekends lately.”

Eli’s dark brow pinched. “What’s he foraging for?”

“Morels and mushrooms. He’s out tromping through the woods, digging up mushrooms. It’s very on brand for my dad,” I explained.

Mom laughed softly, and I couldn’t miss the wistfulness in her eyes. “That sounds like Keith. I’m glad he’s found something he’s enjoying besides smoking and worrying.”

I wasn’t a kid who’d grown up with screaming matches and angry words. My parents had loved and respected each other. They were vastly different, but for a time at least, they relished each other’s differences. And then…well, everything fell apart.

“Wait,” Eli scratched his head, “are they, like, magic mushrooms?”

I snorted a laugh. “No, they’re really just regular mushrooms. Dad’s club tromps around the forest, picks mushrooms, then takes them back to someone’s house and they cook. It’s very wholesome, but I’m certain there’s copious weed and wine for the last part too.”

Eli chuckled. “That, I could be into.”

Mom slapped his huge arm. “Hey, dude, I’m not your mom, but I amamom, who doesn’t want to hear her teenage boy say stuff like that.”

Eli hung his head, but his eyes lit on me. “Sorry, not-mom.”

I snickered at his faux contrition. “You’re such a good boy, Eli.”

He made a ring with his fingers over his head. “See my halo? I’m an angel.”

Mom shook her head. “Oh my god, why did I always think I wanted to have two kids? I was very obviously mistaken.”

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