The Sheik and the Siren (Elemental Series) (17 page)

Chapter 23

Ebba-Tyne was so e
xcited she could barely stand still. Today was the day of the wedding, and two days ago her fae friends had all come to Dolphin Island to join her. It had been three months since their trip back from Tamaris. They had buried the bodies of the men they’d lost and she had spread her mother’s ashes into the sea where she knew her siren soul would rest comfortably forever. She stood in her wedding gown now looking out over the sea, missing her parents and longing for their presence. Her fae friends came down the cliffs now to join her.

“Ebba-Tyne, these cliffs are harder to climb than even my mountain,” said Portia-Maer, and elemental of the air.

“I think it may have something to do with the fact you are so huge with two babies inside you,” laughed Brynn-Riletta, her friend who was the elemental of fire.

“Brynn, where is that darling little boy of yours?” asked Ebba, coming to greet them.

“Blaze is going to carry your ring down the aisle and Ace is trying to give him instructions though he doesn’t understand a word he’s saying.”

“That sounds like Ace,” Ebba said with a smile. “I think he’ll be a good father to our baby.” She rubbed her stomach and the baby kicked. She jumped back and they all l
aughed. “Ace said the baby flips around like a fish,” she told them. “Juturna said she’d tell us if it was a boy or a girl but I want to be surprised.”

“We are ready for the ceremony.” Her friend, Rae-Nyst waved an arm from atop the cliff and the girls climbed up from the shore to join her.

“Your baby is still sleeping?” Brynn looked at her jealously. “Blaze never slept at all.”

Rae held her newborn baby girl in her arms and Ebba could see that she re
ally loved being a mother. “Alona-Dera is tired since her father kept her up all night insisting he show her to everyone on the island, including the new sheik and Ace’s sister.”

“I like her name,” said Ebba knowing she named her daughter after the sacred oak tree. “Portia, what would you name your twins?”

“Since Juturna told us they are a boy and girl,” said Portia, “Braden and I have decided to name them after the air – Gale and Storm.”

“How about you?” asked
Rae. “What would you and Asad name your baby?”

“I think if it’s a girl she’ll be named after water – so Brooke.
And if it’s a boy, we are still undecided but it’ll be named after Asad – so Lion, as that is what his name means. Of course, I wanted to call the baby Sea Lion, but for some reason, Asad did not like it,” she said with a giggle.

“So do you have any surprises in store for Ace at the wedding?” asked Brynn as they made their way to the castle.

“What do you mean?” she said.

“Rae-Nyst made the men all wear flowers in their hair,” Portia pointed out, trying to keep up with the girls, but finding it hard these days to hurry.

“Well, you made your husband get naked in front of us,” Rae added.

“No, I don’t have any surprises
like that,” Ebba said. “’Tis going to just be a short ceremony as the sheik cannot stay but for the day.”

“Ebba, you have to do something,” said Brynn in disappointment. “After all, you are a playful fae, and we expect no less
of you.”

“Oh, I have some plans, and being a siren they involve being naked, I assure you. But it is only for Ace and I, as it will be happening under the water.”

The girls all giggled and made their way to their husbands who walked forward to join them.

“Lord Wolfe, Lord Drake, and Lord Braden, than
k you for being here today,” Ebba said to their husbands. She’d gotten to know them a little over the past few days and could see why each of her fae friends had fallen in love with these men.

“Are you ready, child?” asked Juturna, hurrying to her side and straightening Ebba’s hair.
“Lord Ace has been pacing the castle all morning. I’ve never seen him so nervous.”

“Aye,” said Lord Drake, Brynn’s husband. “Even when we fought the dragon he was more composed than he is right now.”

“Where is Ace?” Ebba looked around the crowd of people, nodding to Sir John and Willis and the rest of the men. She had told them to bring girls to the wedding since the island was severely lacking of females, and they all had a girl next to them now. She was happy to see how Ace had helped to restore their confidence. They had all been very willing to help Ace fix up the castle, and it looked beautiful, much like it had when her parents were alive. ’Twas here that Ace and Ebba would live and raise their baby as a family.

“Girl’s line up,” instructed Juturna, bringing Kamil’s daughters to the front of the line, and placing them on both sides of Blaze. “Make sure to help him as he’s carrying the ring,” she told them. “We don’t want it to end up in the sea.”

“That wouldn’t matter,” said Ebba. “I would always be able to find it again.”

Her fae friends laughed, and she joined them
.

“Musicians, start the music,” instructed Rae’s husband Wolfe.

The sheik had brought his musicians from Tamaris as part of his wedding present to them, and had tried to give Ebba a harem outfit to wear with lots of veils but she refused. She wanted to wear her mother’s wedding gown instead, and now donned it. It was a beautiful long gown of blue like the sea with netting for sleeves and edged with tiny shells and pearls. She wore no veil, but her hair was adorned with flowers and shells of all sizes and colors.

Kamil’s young daughters
walked up the aisle with little Blaze, followed by Ebba’s friends and their husbands.

Juturna shoved a bouquet of
sea flowers mixed with sea stars and seaweed into Ebba’s hands. “All right, child, it’s your turn now.”

“Allow me to walk you up the isle came a voice from behind her.

She turned to see the sheik in his flowing robes with a turban on his head smiling at her.

“Of course, Sheik Malik, I would be honored.”

They got to the front and the music stopped and the sheik stepped to the side. Still, no Ace.

Then she saw Drake look up and
just past her, trying to keep from laughing. “And you thought wearing flowers was bad,” she heard Drake mumble to Wolfe.

She turned to see Ace approaching on a h
orse. Boots and his brother Bear rode horses at his side. She was delighted as she hadn’t known they even had horses on the island. And the thing that surprised her the most was that Ace was dressed in long robes like his father.

Ace got off the horse and handed his reins to Boots. Then he walked up to Ebba and smiled.

“’Twasn’t my idea, but I wore this for my father,” he said softly. “I figured it was the least I could do after he brought us horses and more wedding presents than you can imagine from Tamaris.”

“I love it,” she said with a smile. “And I am glad you are no longer denying your heritage but embracing it instead.”

“You look beautiful in your mother’s wedding gown, Ebba. She would have been so proud to see you in it.”

“I am sure my parents as well as your mother are watching us from beyond,” she told him with a smile.

They didn’t have anyone to marry them, nor did they need or want it, as they were from such different backgrounds that they thought it would be best to conduct the ceremony themself.

Ace picked up the ring from the small pillow Blaze was holding and patted the boy on the head in thanks. The toddler turned and ran back into his mother’s waiting arms.

“With this ring, I proclaim my love for you, Ebba-Tyne,” said Ace, holding up the ring for her to see it.

“I love it,” she told him with a smile, noticing the dolphins etched in silver making a circle. “It’s perfect,” she said as he slipped it on her finger.

“Would you take me as your husband?” he asked, “for ever until we die?”

“I would
, and beyond death as well,” she said. “And do you, Asad ibn Malik take me as your wife as well?” she asked.

“
For ever and beyond,” he answered.

They kissed then and the crowd cheered. Ace picked her up in his arms and she got tangled in his robes.

“I am sorry, Father,” he said, “but I need to get out of these robes anon.” He put her down and took off the turban and the robes, having a tunic and hose underneath. It was the blue tunic with the gold lion that she had made for him.

“Remind me to tell you later what a sheik is sup
posed to wear under his robes, Son,” said his father with a hearty laugh.

“It doesn’t matter, as sirens don’t like clothes so I doubt we’ll be wearing anything at al
l around here for most the time,” Ace answered with a smile.

“Ace,” s
he said, hitting him playfully on the arm.

“We have a feast set up in the great hall and would like to invite all of you to join us in our celebration,” Ace called out.

The crowd laughed and talked and headed for the castle, and it was the best thing Ebba had ever seen in her life.

“Here you go, Ebba,” said Juturna handing her a small bag. The woman left then to follow the crowd to the castle.

“What’s that?” asked Ace quizzically.

“Follow me and see.” She ran off down to the shore and he ran after her.

They didn’t stop until they got to a small boat and Ebba jumped inside. “Come on,” she said, “we have a stop to make before the celebration.”

“All right,” he said, climbing in after her.

With a flick of her wrist, the waves moved the small boat quickly over the water. Dolphins swam and jumped next to them as they made their way far out onto the water. Then the boat suddenly stopped.

“We’re here,” she said, standing and taking off her gown. “You may want to take off your clothes.”

“Now?” he asked. “But I saved the harem outfit for later tonight,” he said with a smile.

“And I’ll bet
you’ll look good in it too,” she said with a smile of her own.

“Don’t tease me, Wife,” he answered
, drinking in her naked body with his eyes. “You know I meant for you to wear it.”

“And that I would – but later.”

“Are we to make love in the boat now?” He pulled her close and kissed her.

“Nay,” she said, pulling an object out of the bag that Juturna gave her.

“The crystal dolphin,” he said. “I thought it got demolished in the battle.”

“Not at all
. Actually Kamil found it and gave it to me at Tamaris. And I know exactly what we need to do with it.”

“Throw it into the sea so people like me can’t cause trouble?”

“Something like that,” she said. “Follow me and I’ll show you.”

She dove in and Ace followed
right behind her. The sun shone down through the water lighting up the tall white pillars from the ancient sunken city. She pulled Ace to her and gave him breath several times before they got to the bottom. And then, she placed the crystal dolphin atop the small pedestal where she and her mother had found it years ago.

The sun shone brightly, streaking down around it and she was sure the spirit of her mother would be watching over the precious piece now. Then they swam to the top, breaking through the water, falling into each other
’s arms and kissing.

Ace held out his hand
and grabbed the side of the boat, and pulled her closer with his other arm.

“I think that was a wonderful thing we just did by putting the crystal dolphin back where it belongs.”

“And so do I,” she told him. “Now let’s go join our friends in our wedding celebration.”

“Can’t we just stay here and make love in the water like last time?” Ace asked with a smile.

“Not now,” she said, “but I promise you after today we can do whatever you want and wherever as well. But today is our wedding and we need to celebrate with our loved ones. After all, if we take any longer they are going to start looking for us. And I don’t think you’d want them to find the newly wed couple here naked.”

“I wouldn’t care in the least,” he said with a smile. “And I think they would all expect nothing less. After all, we are
The Sheik and the Siren
.”

From the Author:

I hope you enjoyed Ebba and Ace’s story in
The Sheik and the Siren
,
Book 4: Water
, in my
Elemental Series.
This is the last book in the series, and if you have missed any of them, you may want to read the others to find out the adventures as well as the romances of the other three elementals. The other books in the series are:

The Dragon and the Dreamwalker
,
Book 1: Fire
,
The Duke and the Dryad
,
Book 2:
Earth
, and
The Sword and the Sylph
,
Book 3: Air.