The Sweet Series Box Set: Books 1-4

by Bailey Ardisone

  I looked up at him, instantly regretting it. He rested against the wall, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the back of his neck, smirking in his signature way that could make any female melt right into a puddle. Or the right male for that matter.

  “You alright?” His tone was anything but actually concerned, more like amused.

  “Yes, I’m fine.” I peeled my eyes away, breaking the hold he seemed to have on me. Just then, Liam walked up. He put an arm around me, making me bristle at his possessive gesture, and at the same time I noticed Mycah slightly stiffen from the corner of my eye. I looked up questioningly at him, but he kept his suave posture in tact.

  “How’s it going, Nari?” Liam asked as I wiggled out of his hold, but it was only replaced by Desmond’s.

  “Yes, how is it going, Nari? Where have you been?” Desmond was being just as playful as Liam.

  “’Sup, Mycah.” Liam decided to be polite, but his tone didn’t sound sincere.

  “Gentlemen,” Mycah greeted back respectfully, and I noticed his tone wasn’t exactly sincere either. Even though it was just one word, he clipped his consonants in an agitated way.

  “Ask Zaylie. I have to go take care of something real quick, sorry.” I pushed Desmond off of me and walked away as fast as I could. The last thing I needed was to be surrounded by Neanderthal boys.

  I finally grabbed my cell and looked for a reply from Rydan. He was my number one concern right now. I didn’t care about anyone or anything else until I made it better with the one person who had been my rock for the past seven years.

  ‘Of course I’ll be there.’ His text was short and to the point, and that was all I needed. I felt a huge wave of relief wash over me, but I knew it was short lived. I would now be spending the rest of the day figuring out what I was going to say to him that could possibly be good enough to make it better. At this point, it seemed to be a daunting task, and I really wasn’t sure if there actually was anything I could say that would repair the sting of betrayal I saw in his eyes.

  I felt someone following me, so I turned my head just enough to see through my peripheral that it was indeed Mycah like I suspected. I was suddenly very anxious to get away from him, and it was only because of how much I actually dreaded being away from him. I knew I wasn’t making sense, but the more I desired him the more I was afraid of him and felt I needed distance. Like my lungs were becoming intoxicated by his very presence and were desperate to breathe in clean, Mycah-less air. The more I wanted to be around him, the more I knew I needed not to be. I wasn’t familiar with these strange feelings I’d been experiencing, and I couldn’t figure out what they meant or what to do about them. All I could think to do was to get away.

  I walked straight into the girl’s locker room to get ready for P.E., not even stopping for a second to say goodbye to Mycah. He would just have to take the hint.

  Apparently he did take the hint, because I didn’t see him the rest of the day at school. And what I felt the moment I was truly separated from him scared me most of all. I hated how disappointed the separation made me. Actually, it was more than that. Something inside me ached when he wasn’t near. It was weird and strange...and no, I did not like it.

  “Nari! Wait up!” I turned around to greet Zaylie who called out for me down the hall and met her halfway. “I almost forgot; here is The Omen Machine. I finished it the other day and kept it in my locker for you. Text me the moment you’re done reading it!” She handed me the book she promised to let me borrow, and I took it excitedly.

  “Thank you so much! I can’t wait to read it. I’ll definitely let you know when I’m done.” If I ever got the chance to read it, that is. I still had a huge pile of books that she gave me and was required to read as soon as possible. The way my week was going, who knew when I’d be able to.

  Desmond caught up to us looking very glum.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Zaylie kicked him in the shin playfully.

  “Man, it is so unfair. Mr. Isaacson is totally cranky. He didn’t believe me, and now I have to re-do the assignment or I’ll fail. Freakin-A! I did the bloody work! You saw it Nari, didn’t you?” He was speaking very animatedly. And loud.

  “What are you on about, Des?” Zaylie looked completely confused. He stood there silent and rolled his eyes.

  I started to explain for Desmond, “In Art class, Mr. Isaacson asked us to turn in our sketches of Man’s Best Friend.” A few days before I was taken, Mr. Isaacson gave us the assignment, and I worked on it that same night. I didn’t have a dog, but I took inspiration from a book I had on Boxers. I sketched a cute little boxer puppy sleeping in the corner of a couch. When the teacher noticed that Desmond hadn’t turned anything in, Desmond had the whole class laughing as he told everyone his dog "Bilbo" had eaten his sketch. “But Desmond said your dog ate his sketch,” I summarized for Zaylie, stifling a laugh.

  Desmond imitated Mr. Isaacson, rolling his eyes, “Are you trying to tell me that your dog ate your homework, Mr. Ryan?”

  I laughed out loud again, remembering what happened. “Aye, Sir!” he said as he pulled out a piece of what looked like shredded paper. It was a sketch of a dog and like he said, it did look like it was eaten. He held it up to the class and said, “He must not have liked it; I didn’t get his good side.” The whole classroom laughed and cheered.

  “Yes, and even though Desmond had the whole room laughing by holding up his half-eaten sketch, Mr. Isaacson did not look amused. I believe you though, Des,” I finished the explanation of what happened for Zaylie.

  “Awww, poor baby.” She patted Desmond on the head, feigning concern. He jerked his head away from her touch, pouting. I tried not to laugh, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

  “You could be my witness, Zales! You were there, you saw Bilbo do it!” He laced his hands together and looked to be about a second away from groveling on his knees.

  “What?! You can’t be serious. He wouldn’t listen to me. He’d only think I was saying that because I’m your sister! Get mum to do it,” she suggested seriously.

  “I guess you’re right. He’ll have to listen to her. Or maybe dad will be better...” He scratched his chin in thought, trying to decide what to do. Their antics reminded me again of Rydan, and I felt an overwhelming desire to get to him.

  “Hey, guys. I have to meet up with someone, but I’ll talk to you later.” I started to walk away.

  “Wait, want to go to the Homecoming Carnival with us on Saturday?” Zaylie asked in a hopeful rush.

  “Oh, this Saturday?” I tried to think if I could give a definitive answer or not. I totally forgot about Homecoming. I hadn’t even made my dress yet for the dance on Sunday.

  “Liam is going with us too,” Desmond happily added, pointing his finger at his sister.

  “Great, Des. We want her to come, not scare her away.” Zaylie rolled her eyes and hit him in the stomach. Desmond only shook his head and laughed.

  “Can I let you guys know? I should be able to, but I just want to make sure before I say yes.”

  “Of course! Just text me.” Zaylie hugged me, then they both waved goodbye.

  I walked outside and was immediately struck with ice-cold raindrops that seemed to fall harder and faster by the second. I was just about to run back inside, but as I whirled around, I ran right into a person’s chest seemingly made out of stone.

  I rubbed my aching nose caused by the impact and looked up. Mycah grabbed my hand and pulled me right up next to his body, shielding me from the rain. I immediately felt different near him, as if that strange, unknown part of me could now take a satisfied breath. I didn’t know how he was doing it, but we stayed dry as we ran to his car. It was like we were enclosed in an invisible bubble that the rain couldn’t penetrate. He opened the passenger door for me and I jumped in.

  I waited for him to enter and get situated before saying, “Thanks.”

  I was still trying to get over the shock of seeing him and the feelings it evoked within me. I half expecte
d not to see him until later tonight and the other half of me thought maybe I wouldn’t be seeing him again at all. I didn’t like the second option, but it seemed worse not to at least expect it, just in case. He didn’t say anything, he just started driving.

  I looked out the window at the pouring rain and my stomach sunk. It made me worry that I wouldn’t be able to see Rydan tonight after all for two very important reasons. One, there was no way I could walk in this, and two, we wouldn’t be able to meet at our usual spot where we’d have complete privacy. And three if you wanted to count him not being able to ride his bike in the rain either, so he also wouldn’t have a way to meet.

  I watched as we drove past my street.

  “Where are we going?” I turned to look at Mycah, confused.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  ~Naminé~

  I awoke to the sound of crashing and shattering stone. It felt like the walls of the castle were caving in and we would all be trapped inside. It sounded like a thousand elephants trampled through the castle, tearing down the walls and destroying everything in their path.

  I lay there trying to decipher the noises screaming around me. With the bitter war going on, one would get used to these sounds sneaking up on you when you least expected it. The Kingdom was falling. Every day it would weaken and threaten to crumble.

  Suddenly, my door opened and my father came dashing in. “Naminé, we must go! You must come with me, hurry!” I grabbed my outer garment and rushed out the door with him.

  “Father, what is happening? Where are we off to?”

  “The enemy is upon us this night. Come, child. They have sent a division to disrupt midnight. We must…” He trailed off as my mother came rushing out of their small chamber that was right next to mine. They started to whisper and make plans for what, I did not know. I couldn’t fathom what we were running to, and I could sense uneasiness from Calen. She did not like when I was in distress. She longed to be near, to fly by my side and ease my pain. It was painful for us to be so far away but utterly necessary. I did my best to console and reassure her that I was all right.

  I did not know what was going on, but I followed my father and mother into the darkness.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  ~Nari~

  “Mycah, where are we going?” I asked again when he didn’t answer me the first time. I expected to go home where I could lay down in peace and silence and go over again what I was planning on telling Rydan. If I was able to see him tonight, I wanted to be prepared.

  “Calm down. You behave as if I were abducting you. You already know I’m the rescuer, not the other way ‘round.” He smirked and changed gears in what looked more like art than an actual car as we continued driving to who knows where. I rolled my eyes and watched from my peripheral as he drove manually. I’d never driven a manual car, only automatic. It was fascinating to watch his precise movements each time he had to switch gears. I didn’t even feel the change like usual when the driver pressed down on the clutch and moved the gearshift. There was no jerk or pull at all. He was clearly a master at it. Surprise, surprise.

  Eventually, he parked the car as we arrived at our destination. We were at O’Malley’s Bed & Breakfast. I inwardly rolled my eyes at myself. I didn’t know why I was worried. He probably just needed to stop and grab a few things.

  “Come on, slow poke,” Mycah called when he realized I wasn’t getting out. I was confused, though. Why did I have to go in, too?

  I hesitantly opened my door, then quickly jumped out and ran to Mycah, wishing I could've still avoided the rain. He didn’t protect me from it like he did before. By the time we got inside, I was completely soaked.

  I was about to complain, already spoiled by the neat trick I badly wished I could perform myself, when he suddenly started drying me with a simple wave of his hand. He started with my head and moved all the way down to my toes until I was completely dry and back to normal, just like the night he healed me.

  “Thank you.” "Amazed" couldn’t nearly describe how I felt each time I witnessed his abilities. I had a feeling I’d be thanking him a lot as time went on. That was, unless he left...

  “It’s my pleasure, love,” he responded as he started walking to his room, so I followed. He opened the door for me, letting me enter first.

  To my major surprise, I walked in to find Rydan sitting in the only chair contained in the room. He looked despondent and frayed, dressed all in black, matching the color of his hair. He looked like a dark, ragged angel, and before I even knew what I was doing, I was across the room throwing my arms around him.

  “I’ll leave you to chat. I’ll be back later,” I faintly heard Mycah say, followed by the sound of the door closing.

  “What are you doing here?” I was so stunned to see him, in Mycah’s room of all places.

  “Why are you so surprised to see me at the B&B my family owns?” He didn’t sound amused or pleased to see me, and he didn’t return the hug either.

  “It’s not that I'm surprised to see you at the B&B, per se. It’s the fact that you are here in Mycah’s room that caught me off guard,” I explained, a little hurt he was being so distant.

  “I was here earlier for business purposes and ran into him. He told me he’d pick you up and bring you here since it was about to rain. What is going on, Nari? Why are you hanging around this guy?” He stood up and walked to the other side of the room, leaving me in the spot alone.

  “I’m not hanging around him. I mean, I’m not trying to. He is just someone I met at school, that’s all. I’m so sorry for what happened yesterday, Rydan. Please forgive me. I wasn’t kicking you out, and I didn’t want you to leave, I just had to take care of something first. You took what I said the wrong way,” I tried to explain—tried to make him understand—but it was so difficult without going into actual details.

  “Don’t ever do that to me again. When I didn’t hear from you, I came looking for you every day. I thought for sure something terrible happened to you—that Ray finally broke and went off the handle. Do you have any idea what that was like? And then to find you perfectly okay and in bed with some strange guy—” He stopped talking and ran a hand through his straight hair. I didn’t know what to say. All day I had thought of this conversation in my head over and over, but now that I was living it, I wasn’t expecting Rydan to display such emotions. He was usually so reserved; I was taken aback.

  “I know I put you through hell, and I truly am so, so sorry. Please forgive me. It won’t happen again, I promise you. I pinky promise.” I walked over to him, holding out my pinky. He reluctantly hooked his own pinky with mine.

  “I don’t like him, Nari. You need to stay away,” his voice was so earnest; I looked up at him confused. Did he know something?

  “I thought the same thing at first, Ry. He feels so…dangerous, right? I mean, he totally creeped me out too when I first met him.” He must have been able to feel the same dark vibe I did at first.

  “Dangerous? No, Nari. He doesn’t feel dangerous to me. I wish that were what it was. That would be way better,” he said disdainfully while pacing the room. He held a fist to his mouth, as if contemplating what to do next.

  “Really? I had such strong bad feelings from him at first, but they are basically gone now. He’s actually a really great person when you get to know him. Not that I really know him yet—Wait, why don’t you like him, then?” I was so confused. He stopped pacing and sat on the edge of the bed, staring intently at me. Now he was starting to freak me out.

  “Rydan, what is it? Why don’t you like him?” I prodded when he didn’t say anything and sat down in the chair, bracing myself for something more awful than dangerous.

  “It’s not danger that I feel from him at all. I don’t like him because he feels like…like…” He stood up again with exasperation and resumed pacing.

  “Oh, my god, Rydan. Seriously, he feels like what?!” He was keeping me on the edge of my seat, and I swore I was about to lose it in one second. He stopped
walking and turned around. The look on his face as he locked eyes with mine made my chest hurt with all sorts of dread.

  “Home,” he finally breathed. His shoulders sagged, as if the weight of the world were sitting right on top of him.

  “What?!” I suddenly stood up, shouting and shaking my head. Perhaps I didn’t hear him right. “Did you say "home"? What does that even mean? And how is that a bad thing?” I crossed my arms and tapped my foot as I waited for an explanation. These dumb boys were going to be the death of me, I swear.

  Not even a second later, a blinding light flashed and an extremely loud crack of thunder boomed around us. I screamed and practically jumped out of my skin, instinctively covering my ears. The entire room shook and the windows rattled from the force. I could hear the rain pouring against the windows.

  Rydan’s cell phone started ringing, making me jump again.

  “What?” he answered nonchalantly. I watched him as he listened to whoever was speaking on the other end. “I’ll be right there.” He ended the call and turned to speak to me.

  “I have to go. My parents need me home before the storm gets any worse. Thunder got out; he’s frightened by the storm,” he explained solemnly. I found the young black colt’s name ironic at the moment. Rydan’s parents lived on a farm outside of town and owned several horses. I’d only been there a few times since it was so far away. Usually Rydan just came to me since I didn’t have a car.

  “I hope he’ll be okay.” I hadn’t met Thunder yet, but I still worried for the poor thing.

  “We’ll get him, don’t worry. I’m serious though, Nari. Stay away from that guy. I don’t trust him,” he cautioned me firmly.

  “Rydan, you don’t make any sense.” I shook my head and gave him a hug, not promising anything. He looked at me sternly before walking out the door.

  Wonderful.

  I could feel the impending doom of battle between best friend and…whatever Mycah was. If all Rydan worried about was that Mycah felt like…home? Then I really didn’t see what the problem was.