The Sheik and the Siren (Elemental Series) (3 page)

“Ebba-Tyne,” she said.

“What?” he asked, his eyes popping open to look at her.

“You asked my name, so
now I’ve told you.”

A name such as this was not very common, and it only reminded him of the lady of fire that Lord Drake had married.
“You are an elemental?” he asked in surprise.

She looked at him with narrowed
eyes, surveying him once again.

“I am, but how did you know?”

“Why don’t you just read my mind and find out?” He knew it wasn’t wise to provoke a siren, especially when his hands and feet were tied. Still, he couldn’t help himself, as he loved a challenge and she’d been taunting him so he decided to return the favor.

“I would, but your mind
is so filled with lust at the moment, ’twould take more time than I’m willing to spare to break through all your thoughts of bedding me.”


All right, then. I’ll tell you. I know your friend, the elemental of fire.”

“You do not,
” she answered in an accusing voice.

“Brynn-Riletta,” he said her friend’s name just to prove he wasn’t lying.
“She married Drake Pendragon and they reside in Thorndale with their baby boy, Blaze.”

“Brynn has a baby?” She smiled and her face softened
, making her seem more human than she had since she’d stepped foot aboard his ship.

“My lady, we have all the cargo
and provisions our boats can hold,” said the man with the one arm.

“Then get going,” she called out.

“We need the dolphins to get back,” he said.

She closed her eyes and seemed to be concentrating. Then she opened them and talked to the man. “They’re at the boats and ready to help pull the load.”

“It’s a heavy one,” he told her, climbing over the side of the ship. We may need more help.”

“Fine then.” S
he waved her hand in the air. The rain stopped suddenly and with one more flick of her wrist, Ace noticed a strong current carrying the loaded boats away from the ship. Dolphins surrounded them, helping to pull the boats by means of swimming through a looped rope.

“You won’t get away with this,” he warned her. “I’ll hunt you down until I ret
rieve every last one of my things.”


No, you won’t,” she said walking away. Then she stopped and turned, coming back to his side. “Why do you look different than the rest of the men?” Her hand on her chin, she walked a full circle around him while taking in every inch of his body, only managing to excite him more - which at this point he didn’t think possible.

“What do you mean?
Because I have all my limbs?” Once again he provoked her, and by the look on her face this time, he was already regretting it.

Her dark eyes bore into him and the tone of her fa
ce told him she was not amused.

“You are so cruel
. And you have no idea what those men have been through.”

“I meant no disrespect, but I don’t understand your question.”

“Your skin is more golden and your features darker than my men. Aye, I’ve seen your kind before.” She nodded as if she were remembering something.

“You have?” he ask
ed, sincerely doubting that was true.

“You come from the land of
sand and sheiks, don’t you?”

“Why, yes,” he answered in surprise
, wondering how she even knew of it. “I do, but I reside in Thorndale now. I have for years.”

“Don’t ever come back or I’ll order my men to kill you,” she said, her disposition changing suddenly
just like the unpredictable weather on the sea.

“I hardly think your men are a match for any skilled warrior,” he said with a laugh, not bothered at all by her threat.

“Really?” She asked, shaking her head. “You, Sea Lion are like no warrior I’ve ever met. You are helpless to control your lust and can do naught to free your arms and legs from bindings you’ve given to yourself. You stand here helpless while my men walk away with your cargo while your own men do naught to protect you, but instead cower below deck. You, Sea Lion, no longer even have a weapon with which to fight. So don’t tell me you are a warrior! And I should slay you for even saying you command the sea. Such blasphemy! Now leave my waters and never return, do you hear me? For even if my men are not able to take your life – I can do it with a mere flick of my wrist and a single note from my mouth. Now do as I say, and I’ll spare your life. But if I see you back at Death’s Door again, I promise you, ’twill be the last addled thing you ever do.”

With that, Ace watched the
siren named Ebba-Tyne dive over the side of the ship and hit the water with barely a splash. Then she grabbed on to the top fin of a dolphin and took off over the water and quickly disappeared from sight.

All he could think of at this moment
, was how the hell was he was going to convince his crew to return to Death’s Door?

Chapter 2

 

Ace had the ropes that bound
his hands just about frayed through when Boots opened the door to the hold, looking out cautiously first one way and then the other.

“She’s gone,” Ace called out, “now get me the hell out of these ropes.”

When Boots didn’t respond, Ace realized he still had the wool in his ears. He motioned with his head toward his ropes and finally, the man removed the wool, still looking around the deck.

“Is it safe to come out, Captain?”

“Aye,” he said, giving an angry tug, breaking the ropes with a snap. “Tell the crew to get up here too, I need to take inventory.” He reached down and easily undid the knot binding his feet.

Boots gathered up the crew and they made their way cautiously above deck
.

“I need a man up in the lookout now,” called out Ace.

“Aye, Captain,” said a crewmember quickly climbing the lines.

“Keep a lookout for rocks and reefs. We’re not out of this yet, though we’
ve made it past the siren alive and the ship is intact, so I think we’ll be fine.”

He noticed Boots squinting, eyeing
things missing on the deck.

“We felt the ship rock and it
felt like a huge gust,” his first mate told him. “Looks like we lost a few things to the sea.”

Ace stepped out of the ropes and rubbed his chaffed wrists. “We lost more than a few things,” he said. “They nearly cleaned us out. Thank God you were hidden in the hold because that’s the only thing that stopped them from taking that cargo too.”

“Them?” Boots looked up in surprise. “Are you telling me there was more than one siren?”

“Nay, just one.” He straightened his tunic trying to cover the remainder of his bulge. “And I assure you, if there had been more I would be dead right now and not standing here talking to you”

“What do you mean, Captain?” He looked down and realized what he was saying. He cleared his throat and glanced the other direction. “Pretty was she?”

“Try a goddess of sea, and nearly naked. Not to mention her singing made me want to rut like a deer in mating season. And her tempting me with her alluring ways didn’t make things any easier.”

“So you heard the siren and lived to tell about it,” said Boots in admiration.

“I kissed the siren too, Boots. And I’m sure no one alive today can say that!”

“I believe you are right, Captain. But now, tell me who was with her?”

Ace ran
a hand through his wet hair and made his way to the sterncastle, the raised deck at the back of the ship to untie the wheel.

“Men, check the rigging and tend to the sails,” he called out to the crew. “The winds have changed and we
need to set course for the port of Lornoon.” He untied the wheel and directed the ship toward Lornoon as he spoke. “They were a band of mangled and maimed men. I’ve never seen the likes of it, Boots. The siren used her powers to help them loot my ship.”

“What do you mean
? Are you saying the girl had some kind of magical powers?” Boots asked, following him up the steps of the sterncastle. The rest of the crew tended to the sails and went about their duties quickly.

“Something like that,” he mumbled, trying to remember the words to that damn haunting song. “And she warned me to stay away or she’d kill me.”

“Good idea,” Boots agreed. “No need for any of us to risk our necks again. And now that you’ve got this lame idea out of your head, we never have to come back.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Boots.”

The man looked up, his eyes widening in surprise, obviously knowing what Ace was thinking. “You are not coming back to Death’s Door. Don’t even tell me you are considering it.” He shook his head of dark hair and held up one hand as if that were going to stop him.

“They took my sword
,” Ace ground out. “Not to mention our provisions, a good portion of the cargo, and also the bag of coins and gold. I can’t let them get away with it.”

“And is that the only reason you want to return?” Boots crossed his arms over his chest. “Or are you thinking below your belt again?”

Ace knew the man was right. He also knew the girl intrigued him more than even any of the harem women back in his country when he was being raised by the sheik. Ebba-Tyne was so unique and alluring that he could not stop thinking of her. He felt a desire and an attraction he didn’t quite understand. There was no question in his mind - he had to see her again. He would find the siren and collect the goods they’d stolen if it was the last thing he ever did.

“She kept calling me Sea Lion, and I don’t like that,” he said
with contempt. “If naught else, I need to return to Death’s Door to set the little water witch straight.”

“Sea Lion?” Boots started to laugh but stopped suddenly when he saw the look on Ace’s face.

“You mention it to anyone, and I swear you’ll be cleaning the barnacles off the hull as well as swabbing the deck for the next year with naught more than your tongue!”

 

* * *

 

Ebba had watched the ship sail away last night, the man tied to the mast finally able to free himself. Her men were elated as they’d shouted and laughed, hauling their booty to the shore. This was one of the largest scores they’d gained from a ship. Or at least before it hit the rocks and sank below the sea ruining the goods in the process or making them unattainable to the men.

Many
sailors had unfortunately lost their lives over the years foolishly tempting the fates trying to sail through the straits. And many ships and most their cargo still lay at the bottom of the sea. She knew where every one of the wrecks was located, as she spent more time under the water than out of it. Her home was really in the sea and she’d not been back to the castle since the day her father died and her mother was snatched away by the sheik and taken with him back to his homeland.

She found herself glad the Sea Lion had made it through Death’s Door without being killed. The man intrigued her for some reason, even if he came from the land of her enemies. But now that he’d left, she knew she’d never see him again. A part of her longed to run her hands over his chest once more, but her mind told her the man was danger, and she needed to avoid him at all costs. She could never befriend anyone from the land of sand and sheiks, nor did she want to.

Her friends now were the dolphins and the life under the water. This was a place away from the trials and tribulations of mankind. A peaceful place where she could find solace and hide from the rest of the world as well as her memories of losing both her parents and most of her father’s loyal men.

She dove under the water
glad to see the sun shining brightly on this new day. She called with her mind to the dolphins. They showed up instantly to escort her to the coral cave. Ebba was an excellent swimmer, and being an elemental of the water, she could stay beneath the surface without breathing air for hours if need be. Her body became one with the water, and though her mother was of pure fae blood and could stay beneath the sea for days at a time, Ebba was half-human and needed to surface more often. Still, water was her ally and all she had to do was call to it and it would do her bidding for her. The one element that didn’t work well with her was actually air.

Hot, arid, desert air was what could kill her
faster than anything. Being away from water and not submerged in it for more than a day could actually take her life. And the longer she stayed out of the water, the weaker she became.

She
held on to the dorsal fin of a dolphin and quickly made her way through the water to the coral reef. She thanked the dolphins in her mind and swam through the sea, basking in the sun’s rays filtering through to light up her underwater garden.

She was
safe here. This was home. The cruelties of the world up above could not touch her when she was beneath the water. ’Twas a sanctuary of sorts, a hidden secret spot of her ancestors which she’d never divulged to anyone. But now that her mother was gone, no one but Ebba represented the elementals of the water. At least not in this part of the world. Here, she was all alone.

Being a fae, she l
oved the flowers of the island, but her sea flowers lie hidden away where only she could see them. Her underwater garden consisted of hundreds of different brightly colored coral sponges, as well as pink and white sea tulips spiked in clumps reaching up toward the surface. Gold coral cups were the buttercups of the sea, and bright blue and purple glass bell tunicates rose up in clusters, their sac-like bodies being illuminated brilliantly from the light above.

Orange sea fans spread out across the water as well as gorgonian coral which looked snake-like, named after the gorg
ons of ancient times. Sea stars in blue and pink graced her garden as well as many of her slow-moving seahorses poking around and hanging on to the underwater grass by means of the ends of their long tails. The sea-dragons with their leafy appendages were nicely camouflaged amongst the sea forest. They were one of her favorites because they were so unique – an oddity – just like her.

Cardinal fish with their brown and black stripes and white spots
took refuge amongst the coral, and bright orange and white striped clown fish nosed about in a bed of tall green sea anemone. She reached out and ran her hand along the back of a sea turtle as it passed her by. She even nodded to the whitetip shark circling the bottom of the ocean floor hiding in waiting for its next meal.

She approached the rock opening to the coral cave, slipping inside quickly and making her way to the center. Coral clung to the walls and long tube sponges half the size of her body poked up from the floor. Even the ceiling of the cave
was covered with round mushroom-shaped coral in beige and white.

Ebba made her way to the center of the cave where a slight opening above let light into the cave. When the tide
was out, this part of the cave being higher was actually out of the water, and a small space or pocket of air existed. She reached into the giant barrel sponge which had often served as a bed for her and brought forth the prized possession of the sea. The crystal dolphin. She held it up to the light and climbed up onto the highest point, her head and shoulders now out of the water as the tide at this time was still low.

Being an elemental, she had been graced with several special abilities. Besides being able to control the waters of the sea, she could communi
cate with the sea life by mind power alone. She was even able to read a human’s mind if she concentrated and was not distracted. But one power that her mother had and she wished she had as well, was to see the future, the present, and the past in the crystal dolphin. Nobody really knew where this precious piece came from, but if it fell into the hands of the wrong people, it could possibly be very dangerous.

She picked
up the beautiful clear crystal smoothly carved into a dolphin the size of her entire hand. She rubbed her fingers over it the way she’d seen her mother do many times throughout her years of watching her. Now she knew she just needed to ask a question in her mind and gaze into the crystal dolphin and hopefully see her answer.

“Where is my mother and is she alive?” she asked aloud. Then she took a deep breath and gazed into the dolphin. Nothing happened at first, but then she thought she saw it cloud over in a fog-like haze. The fog reminded her of her encounter with that pompous man - the Sea Lion
- who had the nerve to tell her he controlled the sea.

Without realizing it, she had somehow activated the crystal. She stared in awe as the fog inside the crystal cleared slowly and she found herself looking at that fool aboard his ship and tied to the mast. She knew she was looking in
to the past. Then she found herself wondering where he was now, and she saw him sitting in a pub with many of his friends. She heard snippets of his conversation and realized he was talking about her. Bragging that is, that he’d not only heard the siren’s song but kissed her as well.

A boldfaced lie! S
he had been the one to kiss him, but a man like him would never admit it. And unfortunately his story would be believed and no one would ever know the truth.

Just t
hinking of the kiss ignited a warm feeling growing deep within her core. She had never kissed a man before, nor had she had the desire to do so until she saw this handsome, outlandish man who attracted her physically by his appearance and intrigued her by his boldness for ever attempting such a dangerous feat. Something about this man excited her though she didn’t know why. Then she found herself wondering if she’d ever see him again. That’s when the crystal clouded over, and she saw him standing on the shore of Dolphin Island and diving into the water right above her secret coral garden.

“Nay!” She cried aloud and shook the dolphin, willing the vision to change. But instead, she saw herself wrapped
in his arms, naked, right here in the coral cave atop the very spot she now sat.

“This is not true!” she said angrily, not wanting to believe what she’d just seen. But she remembered her mother telling her that the crystal dolphin was always accurate. What
was seen inside the crystal was truly either the past, the present or the future, and nothing – nothing at all could change the outcome.

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