The Sweet Series Box Set: Books 1-4

by Bailey Ardisone

  “You know what, you disrespectful brat, don’t bother.” He pointed his thick finger in my face. “I’m done with you. I promised my wife I’d take care of you until you were legal, and I’ve done that. I don’t care what you do from this moment onward, and on that day you turn eighteen, I want you out of here, you got that? She is the only reason you got to grow up in this house.” He pushed past me walking into the kitchen, going straight for a bottle of liquor. At least some things didn’t change.

  “Yeah right, that and those convenient monthly checks you get from the state oughta do it,” I retorted with disgust. I was convinced he only chose to stay my foster parent for the money Maine provided for doing so.

  He laughed humorlessly, an ugly sound I would forever hate, and turned to me.

  “That’s where you’re wrong. She lied to you. We all lied to you. You were never legally ours. She was never your mother. She found you in an alley downtown as a baby, wrapped in a white blanket with the name Nariella Ashwyn Woodlinn sewn into it. I never once wanted you or any child for that matter. Not even your own parents wanted you. But she brought you home anyway and refused to turn you in to authorities. There’s no state money. You’re nobody to me. Just a stupid promise I swore to fulfill in a moment of weakness.” His voice was colder than ice, making me shudder.

  “I never wanted you either. Only her. Say whatever poisonous words you want to me, it won’t matter. She was my mother. A great mother. And you didn’t deserve her. The only thing good to come out of her death is it meant she got to escape you. If only I had been so lucky,” I spat the words with as much venom I could muster and then ran out of the house, not looking back.

  He was sick. A cruel joke of a human being. I was right about one thing—Elizabeth shouldn’t have died that day. But I was wrong too; it shouldn’t have been me either like I had always thought. It should have been Ray. He should have been the one to get mangled and suffer. Not her, not me. Him. Only him.

  I thought over his words as I walked to the Willow to meet up with Rydan. Did my real parents really abandon me in an alley? Who were they? Were they still alive? Why did they do it?

  I had thought of those questions many times before, but now I felt them in a different way. What people could leave a newborn baby alone in a dark, cold alley? I never wanted to meet them. I hoped they were dead...Okay, maybe not. But only someone worse than Ray could do that, and there just wasn’t enough room for more evil in my life.

  Once I got up to the hill that overlooked the Weeping Willow perched next to the crystal pond, I stopped to watch Rydan as he shot arrows into a far away tree. He did that sometimes. He was a skilled archer, something he had always been into since a kid, just like music, and every once in a while he would come out here to practice where it was safe.

  I ran down the hill as fast as I could, desire spreading like never before to be near him and our tree—a desperate need for sanctuary that only this spot could provide. It almost felt magical, like it had special healing powers for the soul.

  Rydan turned when he heard me coming, immediately tensing when he could see I was distraught.

  “Ray and Elizabeth were never my foster parents. I was abandoned, tossed away like trash, and Elizabeth rescued me. She kept me for herself. They lied to me. They didn’t name me like she said. I came with my name. As if whoever my real parents were had the right to name me, only to throw me away a moment later. But they didn’t have that right! They didn’t! I wasn’t theirs to name!”

  I didn’t know what I was talking about; I just seemed to ramble on, emotions spilling out of me overdramatically. Rydan already had his arms around me, comforting me as I retold this newfound information about my life. He was lean but muscular and tall, almost Mycah’s height. He actually reminded me much of Mycah; it was a little disconcerting. I would never tell him that, though. It’d make him so mad.

  He pulled away from me for only a second to take off his dark canvas coat and wrap it around my body, pulling me close again. I didn’t even realize I left without putting on my jacket.

  “Thanks,” I muttered into his taut chest.

  “Ray’s a dick. If he told you all that, which I’m assuming he did, then you must know that half of it is just him trying to get to you. Your mother loved you. And you don’t know the reasons behind what your birth parents did. And you know what? Neither does he. So it doesn’t matter what he says.” His deep timbered voice vibrated in his chest against my face as he spoke. He was right. I couldn’t let Ray’s cruelness get to me. I had enough on my plate as it was.

  “He also said I have to be out of the house on my birthday,” I confessed with a little more joy than I expected. Sure, it was gonna suck being homeless, but I was already convinced anything would be better than living in that hellhole.

  “Seriously?” he breathed against the top of my head, blowing my hair.

  “Mmhmm,” I answered as I snuggled closer to his body to get warm. I felt like an ice cube and he was my personal space heater.

  “You can stay at the B&B. It’s slow season right now so there are plenty of rooms open. My parents love you, so you know they won’t care.” He solved my problem in a flash. I didn’t even have time to worry about it.

  “Do you think I have to wait until next week? I can’t stand the thought of spending one more nanosecond in that godforsaken place.” I wasn’t above begging Rydan’s parents if that was what it came down to.

  “They don’t even have to know. I’ll tell them later after your birthday. Don’t worry about it.” He soothed my frayed nerves with just simple words, forever making me indebted to Rydan yet again. “So I guess this means you’ll be going with me tomorrow?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You know that,” I assured him, referring to his trip to Portland for the symphony performance.

  “Ah well, one can’t be too sure these days, what with pervy British guys lurking around and all…” he teased, tightening his arms around me.

  “He’s not a perv! And, actually, that’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about…” I pulled out of his embrace, suddenly feeling way too warm. “Listen, Ry…you are my absolute best friend. You always will be. So don’t ever forget that, okay?” I looked up straight into his bright mercury eyes so that he could feel my sincerity.

  “Ditto. But be honest with me. What’s going on with this guy? He your boyfriend now?” he asked, not hiding his disgust from his voice. He walked through the curtain of long willow branches to sit down against the trunk.

  “I don’t know. And that is being honest. I’m not really sure what we are…” I furrowed my eyebrows, realizing this was a whole new experience for me. I didn’t know how it worked. I had thought we were only friends, if even that, but...were we dating now? I guessed I expected something entirely different. I mean, I wasn’t crazy, I knew the whole boy asking the girl to go "steady" was outdated. But did kissing twice qualify as becoming a couple nowadays? Maybe it did. Or maybe it was that plus all the other things we’d been through together that solidified our relationship.

  I really didn’t know. I’d seen so many couples flip-flop between each other at school, kissing one person to the next. Dating seemed like such a casual thing to other people. What if Mycah felt that way, too? What if I was just a warm body who happened to be around during his heightened hormonal periods? I took health class; I was no fool to how teenage bodies worked.

  He had never officially told me how he felt about me—if he felt anything serious or not—and I had never told him either. We were kind of only around each other because these strange, bad things kept happening to the both of us. Did that qualify us as friends? Did that qualify us as dating? I seriously had no clue...and my brain was constantly reminding me that I shouldn’t want us to be dating, like a billboard with the words "Swore Off All Men - Remember?" wouldn’t stop flashing.

  “Well you know how I feel about him. Something isn’t right. I really wish you would heed my warning and stay away
, Nari,” Rydan reprimanded as he stood up and went back to practicing archery.

  “I know, I know…and you’re right. There are some strange things about Mycah I can’t explain. I don’t know what to think or do about it all,” I admitted, understanding completely where Rydan was coming from. A small part of my brain—way, way in the back—told me I needed to stay away. But I had to believe it was because Mycah was keeping me in the dark in addition to all the danger he brought, and until he finally fessed up about everything that was going on, I could never really be sure I would be able to trust him.

  “What are you talking about? What strange things?” Rydan demanded on full alarm, lowering his bow. Crap. Me and my big mouth…

  “Nothing. He just doesn’t tell me much about his life, that’s all,” I tried to cover my mistake. “Actually, a lot like you are about keeping your life secret. You do the same thing to me, Rydan. You barely tell me anything important about yourself.”

  “You know enough,” he snapped. I hit the mark.

  “No, I don’t. I know there is so much you don’t tell me. Like, the real reason behind why you are vegetarian. And the constant sadness behind your eyes. What about the way you tried so hard to not show how freaked you were about dreaming? Don’t think I don’t notice all those things. I always do. I just don’t say anything because I hope that one day you’ll actually trust me enough to tell me all on your own.” I could feel myself going too far, getting closer and closer to the line, but wasn’t able to keep myself from jumping over it. “But you never do. You never tell me anything. You just keep me at arm's length and I have to sit back in the dark not knowing anything significant about you. Why should I even trust you if you don’t trust me?”

  I stopped myself then as soon as that sentence left my mouth. Where had that come from? I didn’t mean to turn my anger out on Rydan. I had no reason to be upset with him. He stared at me, completely stoic, masking any emotion. Regret began to fill my stomach, and although some of it was true, I knew there were reasons behind it. I never wanted to push him like that.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said all that. I know you have your reasons. I’m sorry.” I closed the distance between us in two long strides and threw my arms around his waist.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  ~Naminé~

  I didn’t move an inch. I let him come to me. We held each other’s gazes as he slowly took small steps toward me. I still struggled to hold it all together, but it was easier if I didn’t move.

  I smiled to encourage him to inch forward. He took one more step. I held my breath and when nothing happened, I let it out. I tried to talk to him one more time. I opened my mouth and called his name. He looked at me with no comprehension. He knew I tried to speak but didn’t understand.

  He took another step forward.

  I said his name again. He lifted his eyebrows in question. I decided to stop speaking and concentrated on our progress.

  Another step forward.

  He looked down at the space between us and knew he was almost there, for I could see in his expression determination and his will to continue pushing.

  He looked back up and took another step.

  I felt the cloud in my mind threaten to take over. I clenched my fists, and suddenly he stiffened. He must have noticed my hesitation, for he stopped and took a deep breath. I pushed the cloud back in my mind with all my might. I felt somewhat clearer and nodded at him that it was all right.

  He took another step forward.

  He smiled. If we would have reached out our hands, we would have touched.

  Chapter Forty

  ~Nari~

  “I’m really sorry. Please forgive me.” I regretted my words immediately. Rydan didn’t like to be pushed when it came to talking about his past. I couldn’t imagine what it was he was hiding and didn’t want to tell me, but I knew better than to say all that. It wasn’t fair to him.

  “It’s fine,” he sighed, relaxing in my arms. He moved away and went back to shooting arrows into several trees. I sighed too and just like that, it was forgotten between us. I then walked over to the pond and sat down.

  I watched as Rydan expertly shot arrow after arrow, many obliterating an arrow that was already stuck there, which I knew to be called a "Robinhood" shot, because he did it all the time. That meant he would shoot one arrow into another one, splitting apart the first one.

  It always amazed me to see, but he had said that it wasn't really that big of deal. I had said he was just being modest, because he was freakin' awesome with that bow. If there was ever a medieval war to break out, I’d feel perfectly safe with Rydan by my side.

  It was beautiful to watch, really. Once in a while he’d set up targets attached to the trees deep into the forest—too far in for me to see—then make it look effortless as he got a bull’s-eye in every one. He’d even do a few "Robinhood" shots just to make me happy. I honestly had no idea how he did it. How did the arrows not get stuck in the trees on their way down? If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes a hundred times, I never would have believed it could've been done.

  Eventually, he was done practicing, so he rode me to the B&B his parents own. His family was quite wealthy—they owned an entire chain of hotels and several bed & breakfasts throughout New England and along the east coast.

  They didn’t always act it, but once in a while they could be a little too upper class for my tastes. They hated that Rydan had to go to a small public school like Port High. Once a special private school for the musically gifted opened up, they didn’t hesitate to make him transfer.

  Rydan didn’t care either way. At first he was frustrated that we wouldn’t be going to school together, but he somehow managed to get over it, and a lot better and sooner than I did. Typical.

  “Watch your step,” he warned me as he pulled up to the curb outside O’Malley’s Bed & Breakfast. I carefully swung off his bike, being mindful not to trip.

  “And what do we have here? Coming to visit me? Rydan, you shouldn’t have,” Mycah’s familiar accent called playfully across the lawn, humor igniting his eyes. Rydan scoffed at his sarcasm. I stiffened. One tended to do that when their heart stopped and then jump-started into racing mode. I hadn’t seen him since he dropped me off at home early yesterday morning, and it felt like ages ago.

  “Oh, you wish, don’t you, lover boy?” Rydan joined in the game by grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the entrance of the B&B. Mycah narrowed his eyes at the possessive gesture, and I knew Rydan was doing it just to get a reaction out of him. I, on the other hand, didn’t want to play this stupid testosterone game. I yanked my hand away from Rydan’s and walked faster to pass him.

  I could feel both boys following me close on my heels as I made my way up the porch steps.

  “Nariella, what are you doing here?” Mycah asked with happy curiosity from behind. He probably wanted to know if I was here for him. Which didn’t sound like a bad idea to me…

  “Nothing that you need to be concerned with, that’s what,” Rydan answered right away for me before I could say anything.

  “Really? So you two just happened to be here, doing what exactly?” Mycah’s British accent was perfectly crisp and clicked over each consonant as he spoke with frustration, trying to keep his cool.

  I whirled around as I got to the door, causing Rydan to run into me, and noticed Mycah’s jaw clench in anticipation. I couldn’t figure out what he was worried about. Did he think I was coming here for a quickie with Rydan?

  I busted out laughing at the idea, and both boys turned to stare at me shocked, furrowing their eyebrows, not understanding my silent amusement.

  “Well, I’m glad at least one of us is entertained,” Rydan said under his breath.

  “What? This doesn’t happen all the time with you, lad? I was positive this must be a frequent occurrence of hers. You know, from having to be subjected to looking at your face and all. I’m sure the girl can’t help it,” Mycah’s sarcastic humor continued, egging Rydan
on.

  “It is actually. I make her laugh all the time. Can you say the same?” Rydan retaliated, playing upon Mycah’s interest in me once again.

  I regained my composure, but barely, and tried to set things straight.

  “Rydan, please, you do not all the time. And Mycah, I’ll be staying here now. At least temporarily,” I clarified, feeling a little embarrassed all of a sudden.

  Could I handle staying under the same roof as Mycah, night after night? I flushed and could feel every inch of my skin growing hot from the idea. Mycah narrowed his eyes at me then smirked in his incredibly sexy way, and I knew right then he could feel my emotions. Dang it!

  Rydan took Mycah’s expression the wrong way and grabbed him by his shirt collar, violently throwing him against the wall.

  “The only reason I am allowing you to do this is because I’m a nice guy. But twice is the limit. You will never put your hands on me again,” Mycah spoke quietly, menacingly, and if I didn’t know any better I would be frightened. Unfortunately, his warning only fueled Rydan’s rage even more, making him take a swing at Mycah’s face to take up the challenge.

  But Mycah was lightning fast, easily blocking Rydan’s fist by grabbing it in the air with his left hand and holding it in place. Mycah threw Rydan backward, then took a step toward him. I didn’t like where this was going and immediately stepped in between them.

  I faced Mycah, hoping I could appeal to him more easily, and put my palms against his chest.

  “What in the world are you doing? Rydan is my absolute best friend. If you hurt him, you hurt me. I would never forgive you,” I promised, believing every word. Mycah glanced down into my eyes as he towered over me and instantly softened.