The Sweet Series Box Set: Books 1-4

by Bailey Ardisone

  Zaylie’s chest rose and then fell, and then rose again. An iridescent glimmer spread from her heart, then outward, reaching her throat, then her lips, up to her head, and out all the way to her toes. Her dead-white color was overwritten by the healthy, rosy, golden color that she once had. She was back to normal.

  The moment her eyes opened to a shining golden brown, I about lost it. Darkness filled my vision, and a loud ringing in my ears muffled all other sounds. I collapsed against Rydan’s shoulder, and then almost hit the ground. He caught me and lowered my body over his lap. From the corner of my eye, I could see the Night Elves trying to pass through the burning tree, but Mycah held them back with his weapon.

  “What’s wrong with her eyes?” Rydan shouted with panic to Mycah, but he was busy keeping us safe. It barely registered that Rydan must’ve been talking about me. “Hey, what’s happening to her eyes?!”

  Once my beautiful Weeping Willow—engulfed in flames—burned to the point of no return, my connection to Luïnil was completely snuffed out. I, too, fell into that same abyss of nothingness.

  Chapter Fourteen

  A pain in my heart had me clutching my chest and doubling forward.

  “Nariella?” Mycah grasped my arms, concern resonating in his voice.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” Rydan shook my body a little that lay in his arms still. “You passed out for a second. Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know,” I squeezed out, inclining my head to look them in their faces.

  “Bloody hell,” Mycah brushed my hair back and placed his hands around my face, turning me into the sliver of light that shone through the grey clouds that were rolling overhead, “what’s happening with your eyes?”

  “What the-?” Rydan gasped. “You have black streaks swirling in them.”

  “I…I don’t know…that’s weird.” I tried to understand, and then my stomach flipped. Something felt terribly wrong. I played it off like I was fine so as not to worry them, but I really wasn’t. “I just need to rest, that’s all. It took a lot out of me to try and revive Zaylie. But I’m good. Really. I’m sure my eyes will go back to normal after a good night’s rest.”

  Immediately my mind switched to my beautiful best friend. Not seeing her, I stood up abruptly, but almost fell over from exhaustion. I tried to shake it off, not being concerned with myself at the moment. “Where is she? Did I do it? Is she okay?”

  “Nari? Are you okay?” she half-squeaked, half-cried from behind where Rydan had carried me from the tree. I turned to her voice, tears choking me. I couldn’t speak even if I wanted to. The strain on my throat was inescapable. She stood up from kneeling and stepped over broken twigs on the ground, breaking into a sprint. She tackled me into a hug, knocking me several steps backward. We almost fell to the ground she hit me so hard. My face was buried in her hair, as was hers in mine, and we wept together in this way.

  I was so happy. So, so happy.

  Once more, memories of our good times together flashed through my mind like a picture book, but I was no longer filled with sadness. I could once again look back on them with joy and fondness, love and appreciation. They had been some of the best times of my life, and now I get to have more of them, because Zaylie was alive.

  Zaylie was alive.

  “I’m fine. But you—How do you feel?” I asked through streaming tears. I put everything I had into not collapsing from the ache I strangely felt growing in my chest.

  “I feel amazing. I’ve never felt so good in all my life.” She sniffled, smiling from ear to ear.

  “Good,” I smiled back, relief settling in finally, but it wasn’t enough to cover the unknown weirdness I had going on inside of me.

  “Tell me everything that happened,” she croaked through tears. Her Australian accent painted over the words beautifully, exactly how I remembered and loved about her. “You have no idea how long I’ve been dying to ask you about how…you-you, you fell through a freakin’ tree!”

  “Yeah, I know.” I sniffed, pulling back my hair from around my face. Sweat was beginning to bead at my hairline from the mere exertion of keeping myself upright.

  “You scared me half to death.” She grabbed my forearms in a vice-grip, her eyes going wide. I pulled her down with me to the ground, needing to sit. “I thought I went mental or something. I waited every day for you by that damn tree but you never came back. I tried to tell my mum and even the police, but no one believed me! They said I was confusing reality with a dream; that you must’ve left to go find Rydan and his newfound brother.”

  “I’m so sorry I worried you like that, Zales. But I was okay—” I tried to explain but she cut me off.

  “Des and Lachlan didn’t even believe me. And then months went by, but I still kept going to that tree I just knew you had fallen through. I knew I wasn’t crazy. But one day when I was there, those horrid men in suits held me against my will! I don’t understand, why did they do that? They tortured me and, and, it was awful.” She shuddered, covering her face with her hands. Wrapping my arms back around her, I felt her pain completely, knowing what it was like being in their custody.

  Mycah knelt next to Zaylie, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Forgive me, Zaylie. I am to blame. Their intent was to get to me.”

  Zaylie nodded, “It was those guys you told me about, Nari. The Black Eagles you said were after Mycah. Isn’t it?” I nodded my yes, taking her hands. “Okay, but I don’t get it. What happened? How did you get us out of that crazy mess? One second you were trying to get me free, and the next thing I know I’m perfectly healthy, lying on the ground with you hovering over me.”

  “Technically, we didn’t get you out of the mess, but it’s a long story,” I tried to answer, but I was kind of at a loss for what to say. “Let’s just say we figured out a way to save you.”

  “How long has it been since then? Have I been in a coma or something?” she stood back up and began pacing. “What are we still doing here? Are they all dead?”

  Her questions kept coming as panic and confusion riddled her voice. We answered as best we could, saying that it’d been a few days since she had seen us fighting the Black Eagles, and Rydan explained that yes, most of them didn’t make it, except Nikolai. My heart twisted with that new information. She couldn’t understand. I forced myself to get back up and go after her. Taking her hands, I led her to another spot of grass we could sit down on near the pond. What I had to say would be easier given when sitting, and honestly, it was all I could manage doing.

  “Zales,” I started, “what I’m about to tell you is gonna come as a huge shock. Are you ready for this?” She nodded yes, but I had the urge to ask myself if I was the one ready for this, because I wasn’t so sure that I was. Inhaling a long breath, I squeezed her hands. “Um, okay, how do I put this?” I stammered. “I’m just gonna say it bluntly, okay? Rydan, Mycah, and myself…we’re…well, we’re not human.”

  “What?” She shook her head, confusion scrunching up her delicate face.

  “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true.” I braced myself for what I was about to say next. “You died that day when we were fighting Nikolai and his men. You’ve been dead this whole time. But because of us not being human, we were able to find a way to bring you back.”

  “Dead? How? Then what are you if you’re not human? Angels?” She laughed, not believing me.

  “No, no. Not angels. Oh, man. I dunno if I wanna tell you,” I breathed, and my chest felt like it was caving in. Could I do this? Could I say the words out loud to her? Was I even allowed to tell her about our magical species?

  Rydan was suddenly next to us. I hadn’t even noticed he was coming over until he lowered himself on the ground to be at our level.

  “Zaylie, what Nari is trying to say, but failing miserably at,” Rydan rolled his eyes, “is that we’re elves. Okay? There, I said it. Just like a band-aid.” He ruffled my hair, sending strands flying over my eyes and every which way. I huffed then blew the hair out of my face.

  �
��Thanks, Ry,” I muttered dryly. My eyes found Zaylie’s shocked ones again. “But, he’s right. Believe it or not, that’s what we are.”

  She sat frozen, staring at me with her mouth hanging open, her eyes wider than saucers. A few seconds had gone by without her even blinking.

  I opened my mouth to ask if she was okay, but then suddenly she shouted, “That…is so bloody cool!”

  “Wait, it is?” My eyebrows scrunched together.

  “Yes! This is amazing,” she squealed, squeezing my hands tighter. “I knew your eyes couldn’t be contacts. And Rydan’s? Not to mention Mycah’s! C’mon, it was obvious you guys were different. Just look at you! And the whole tree thing…I had to stew over that entire incident for almost a year! I tried to come up with every answer and scenario to explain how you could’ve just…disappeared into a tree. This is a much better explanation than the ones I was coming up with, believe me. And don’t think I didn’t see all the crazy ass-kicking you guys did against those men. I’m not dumb—I just thought you were like…radioactive superheroes or something.” She laughed a little.

  Really, I shouldn’t have been surprised by her reaction. She loved fantasy, and she never felt weird around me from the beginning. Despite other kids avoiding me, whether it was unconsciously done or not, she had never once shied away from me.

  But then suddenly, her eyes widened immeasurably as she gasped and drew a hand to her mouth. She stared at Rydan.

  “What?” Rydan questioned, and I, too, turned my eyes at him to see what she had seen.

  “Your ears,” she breathed in a soft whisper, my gaze slipping back to her face. Her hands flew to her own ears, where she felt erratically, her eyes expanding even more in horror.

  “What’s wrong with them?” Rydan asked. Mycah and I continued to alternate our gaze from Rydan to Zaylie. That was when I noticed Rydan’s human ears were no longer visible. He felt them himself, understanding passing in his expression. They were the elven ears he had been born with, clear as day.

  “The human enchantment on our elda bodies provided by the Ëlemmiire was destroyed along with the tree. We are no longer protected by its power, and so our elda features are visible,” Mycah explained in a low voice.

  “Holy shiz…you really are elves,” Zaylie mumbled softly. Shaking her head, she raised her eyebrows and snickered. “Wow.”

  “Yeah…are you okay with that?” I asked quietly and skeptically. It seemed way too easy.

  “I mean, I guess so. I might be in a bit of shock. But like…did I really die? That’s what I’m trying to wrap my head around more than anything. I had way, way too much time to get used to you being something not human. But…the dying thing—” She held a hand to her forehead. “Is it hot suddenly?

  She started waving her hand at her face to cool herself down.

  “Hey, you sure you’re okay?” But she ignored my question.

  “Do my parents know about this? Does any of my family know that I had died?” she asked breathlessly.

  “No, not that I know of. None of them know what happened as far as I’m aware, and they especially don’t know anything about us.” I bowed my head, feeling bad for having left her body out here and telling no one about the tragedy. In the end, it had worked out better that way, but still. She died, and no one even knew. “The thing is, we didn’t tell them because we didn’t have time to. The tree is like a portal that crosses into a different realm. I was sucked back into it right after what happened to you. The second we returned, I revived you. I haven’t a clue what exactly your family knows about your capture, but if I learned anything about the Black Eagles, I doubt it’s anything at all. They probably think you’re missing and that’s that. Do you know how long Nikolai had you for?”

  “I don’t know for sure, it felt like forever. Maybe a couple months. I need to see my family right now.” Tears filled Zaylie’s eyes again as she started to shake, holding onto my arms. She looked to me suddenly. “Nari, I’m sorry, I gotta go see my parents. I heard what you said, and I appreciate you telling me, but honestly I can’t think about it at the moment. I need some time to just…I dunno, let it sink in. But I love you, and I’m so glad you’re okay and that you’re back. And thank you so much for saving my life. It’s hard to believe that you even had to.”

  I wrapped my arms around her, hugging tightly, and rubbed her back for comfort. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I understand. And I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re okay, too. We’ll take you straight to your parents right now. Don’t worry.”

  Breathing in deeply, I cringed at the foul taste the polluted air left me with. It made me sad to think about how much Earth had been ruined because of men. Like Luïnil, Earth at one time was clean, pristine, and perfect. The feel of the perfect oxygen that had been in my lungs, and the sweet aroma that had intoxicated my taste buds made my mouth water just remembering it. It was even more saddening that I wouldn’t be returning there to breathe in the luxurious air again.

  The four of us were already making the walk back into town, though it was torture pretending I wasn’t about to pass out at any second. What was happening to me? I tried to focus on the discussion at hand. We tried to come up with the best story for Zaylie to tell her parents and the police to cover the events that had taken place. We couldn't decide between her saying she had gone to try to find me, or that she should just play innocent and clueless by simply saying someone took her, but she didn’t know who or why, only that they ended up letting her go after realizing she wasn’t who they needed. It was a tough decision.

  As we continued walking, it was wreaking havoc on my body to do so. I could barely keep my eyes open; the weight on my shoulders and chest begged me to drop to the ground and sleep. Mycah was sticking awfully close to my body. He lowered his lips to my ear. “There’s something the matter. Tell me.”

  “It really is nothing. You don’t have to worry, Mycah. I’ll be fine after getting sleep in a nice, warm, cozy bed. It feels like I haven’t gotten to do that in so long.” Forcing a smile, I hooked my arm around his and pretended not to be bothered by the exhaustion. I prayed that was all it was, but honestly, I had no idea. I felt like I was slowly dying. Surely, I only needed rest.

  “Rydan, do you know where we can get a car? Zaylie lives a few miles from here,” I rushed out in a jumble. Distracting myself, and hopefully Mycah too, was my best trick, and I didn’t know of any car rental places close by. My explanation seemed to appease Mycah for the moment, though, since he seemed to drop it.

  “Damn. My cell is getting molested with messages right now,” Rydan murmured as he stared down at his phone, ignoring my question. He must’ve just turned it back on after a year of being away—I shook my head, still not able to grasp that crazy concept.

  I put a hand on his shoulder. “Rydan, do you?”

  “Do I what?” he finally gave me his attention. I sighed. Repeating myself was so very frustrating. Especially when I was already on edge.

  “Know where we can get a car?” I noticed then the pain in his face. “What? What is it?”

  “Nothing.” He gruffly looked away from his phone, stuffing the device back in his pocket. “I don’t think there’s a car rental place in town. Let’s just get to the B&B. Zaylie’s family can get her there. I can feel Lómë is at my house, though, with Ender and Naminé. Maybe Marie is at the B&B and we can use her car.”

  Rydan walked away briskly with the three of us following closely on his footsteps. I held onto my throbbing torso and pushed through the pain to quickly catch up to him. I laced our fingers together, already having an idea of what it could be about.

  “You thinking about your parents?” I whispered. I knew Rydan could be sensitive about discussing things like that out loud. Since he had apparently been gone for a year, according to them, and he had dozens of questions to ask about his life, it must be stressful thinking about seeing them.

  “Don’t call them that. They’re not my parents,” he responded snidely. He walked
fast, so it took a bit of effort on my part to keep up with his stride. I grabbed onto his arm with my other hand to make it easier.

  “What? Of course they are! You might not know all the details, Rydan, but they raised you. They are your parents and you still owe them your respect!” I countered, not understanding how he could turn his back on two people who loved him his whole life. The only reason I knew what parental love could be like was because of Elizabeth, and she wasn’t my birth mother either. I had wished all my life that I had parents like Rydan’s. “They love you, Rydan. You have no idea how torn up and distraught they were when you left. How they probably still are right this second.”

  He closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath. Just remembering the tears and pain in his mother Anna’s face caused a lump in my throat.

  “You’re right. I know that,” he finally said, running a hand through his black hair and shaking his head at himself. “I know I need to give them a chance to explain. I just hate that they’ve lied to me all these years.”

  “Trust me, I know what it’s like to just find out you’ve been lied to all your life. But your parents are good people. They probably thought they’d never have to tell you because they truly think of you as their son,” I reasoned, trying to see it from Mr. and Mrs. O’Malley’s side.

  I forced myself to jump on his back and wrapped my arms around his neck while giggling, hoping to cheer him up. Rydan chuckled—sort of—as he looped his arms under my knees to support me.

  “Is that where we’re headed?” Zaylie asked, causing me to jump slightly. I had temporarily forgotten all about anyone else other than Rydan and myself. I was so used to walking these streets with it just being the two of us.

  I slowly slid off of Rydan’s back, a blush ripening my cheeks. My eyes shot to Mycah and noticed him clenching his jaw tight. A sinking feeling filled my insides. I suddenly realized Rydan and I would have to change. It wasn’t just the two of us anymore. We couldn’t continue to live like it was. We were comfortable with each other, certainly, but now it might just be a little too comfortable. At least to other people. I normally didn’t care what other people thought when we were together, but now...now I might just have to. I swayed suddenly, the exertion from jumping catching up to me.