Read Online The Sheik and the Siren (Elemental Series) by Elizabeth Rose - Free Book Online
Authors: Elizabeth Rose
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Cook who sat at the table looking forlorn.
“I can’t see to know which is which,” the man complained.
“You don’t need your eyes,” Ace told him. “Use your nose to smell them, and if you can’t do that, than taste the damn things. You are far from helpless, now you just need to believe it too.”
She watched in amazement as Cook felt the table in front of him, smelling several of the dishes of herbs and tasting them as well. “Here are the two you asked for,” he said, pushing the bowls forward.
“I’m a little busy at the moment,” said Ace, “just go put some in the pot.” He stood there with his arms crossed doing absolutely nothing, and the other men just looked up, but didn’t say a word.
“I . . . can’t,” he said.
“ Why not?” asked Ace. “It doesn’t seem to me that your legs are broken. Just do it, damn it. You need to start pitching in if you’re going to be part of this castle. Everyone needs to pull their weight. Now get up off your ass and do it!”
“Ace, I’ll get the spices,” Ebba said, starting forward, but Ace put his hand on her arm and stopped her. “Let him do it or he’ll never gain back his confidence,” he said in a low voice.
She watched in awe as Cook got up and took the bowls carefully into his hands. Then he walked slowly toward the fire, but Ebba could see he was about to bump into the barrel from the spices right in his path. She opened her mouth to warn him, but Ace stopped her.
“You’d better take the stick to guide you until you get familiar with the room,” Ace said. Sir John handed him his guide and Cook put both bowls in one hand and used the stick in front of him, tapping it against the ground and hitting the side of the barrel, alerting him that it was there. He walked again toward the fire, and once again Ace called out.
“You’d better damn well know how high those flames are before you reach across them unless your looking to burn the hair off your arms, but then you’d look like a wench, so I wouldn’t suggest it.”
The men all laughed and so did Cook. He used his stick to bring him to the edge of the hearth and then put out his hands to feel the heat – the height of the flames. Then he sprinkled some herbs into the pot and turned around with a smile as he spoke.
“You bastards better not mess up my kitchen or I’ll have every one of you down on your knees cleaning the floor.”
That broke the serious mood in the room and the men continued cooking, talking and drinking the win e they’d stolen from Ace’s ship. This scene reminded Ebba of the happy times between her father and his men - of the way things used to be.
“Let’s go for a walk,” Ace whispered into her ear, then led her out into the courtyard.
“That’s a wonderful thing – what you’re doing for the men,” she said.
“I’m not doing anything but helping them gain back their self-respect. No man can call himself a man if he feels as helpless as a woman.”
She glared up at him and his face lit up in a wide smile, showing his white teeth against his bronzed skin. His eyes were a warm brown that lit up his entire face when he laughed. She felt attracted to him, and was now glad he’d come back to her island after all.
“ I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “After all, you are one woman who is anything but helpless.”
They wal ked through the burnt and demolished courtyard, and he led her up the stairs to the top of the battlements.
“Have you ever been up here?” he asked her curiously.
“Aye. Once. When I was a child. But my father told me it was not the place for a girl. I think it’s just because he wanted me away from the guards who tended to drink and play cards atop the battlements.”
“There’s nothing wrong with drinking and playing cards.” He ran a hand over his hair as it blew upward in the wind. “I’m pretty good at both if I must say so myself.”
“Is that why you are named Ace by any chance?”
His smile
“I can’t see to know which is which,” the man complained.
“You don’t need your eyes,” Ace told him. “Use your nose to smell them, and if you can’t do that, than taste the damn things. You are far from helpless, now you just need to believe it too.”
She watched in amazement as Cook felt the table in front of him, smelling several of the dishes of herbs and tasting them as well. “Here are the two you asked for,” he said, pushing the bowls forward.
“I’m a little busy at the moment,” said Ace, “just go put some in the pot.” He stood there with his arms crossed doing absolutely nothing, and the other men just looked up, but didn’t say a word.
“I . . . can’t,” he said.
“ Why not?” asked Ace. “It doesn’t seem to me that your legs are broken. Just do it, damn it. You need to start pitching in if you’re going to be part of this castle. Everyone needs to pull their weight. Now get up off your ass and do it!”
“Ace, I’ll get the spices,” Ebba said, starting forward, but Ace put his hand on her arm and stopped her. “Let him do it or he’ll never gain back his confidence,” he said in a low voice.
She watched in awe as Cook got up and took the bowls carefully into his hands. Then he walked slowly toward the fire, but Ebba could see he was about to bump into the barrel from the spices right in his path. She opened her mouth to warn him, but Ace stopped her.
“You’d better take the stick to guide you until you get familiar with the room,” Ace said. Sir John handed him his guide and Cook put both bowls in one hand and used the stick in front of him, tapping it against the ground and hitting the side of the barrel, alerting him that it was there. He walked again toward the fire, and once again Ace called out.
“You’d better damn well know how high those flames are before you reach across them unless your looking to burn the hair off your arms, but then you’d look like a wench, so I wouldn’t suggest it.”
The men all laughed and so did Cook. He used his stick to bring him to the edge of the hearth and then put out his hands to feel the heat – the height of the flames. Then he sprinkled some herbs into the pot and turned around with a smile as he spoke.
“You bastards better not mess up my kitchen or I’ll have every one of you down on your knees cleaning the floor.”
That broke the serious mood in the room and the men continued cooking, talking and drinking the win e they’d stolen from Ace’s ship. This scene reminded Ebba of the happy times between her father and his men - of the way things used to be.
“Let’s go for a walk,” Ace whispered into her ear, then led her out into the courtyard.
“That’s a wonderful thing – what you’re doing for the men,” she said.
“I’m not doing anything but helping them gain back their self-respect. No man can call himself a man if he feels as helpless as a woman.”
She glared up at him and his face lit up in a wide smile, showing his white teeth against his bronzed skin. His eyes were a warm brown that lit up his entire face when he laughed. She felt attracted to him, and was now glad he’d come back to her island after all.
“ I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “After all, you are one woman who is anything but helpless.”
They wal ked through the burnt and demolished courtyard, and he led her up the stairs to the top of the battlements.
“Have you ever been up here?” he asked her curiously.
“Aye. Once. When I was a child. But my father told me it was not the place for a girl. I think it’s just because he wanted me away from the guards who tended to drink and play cards atop the battlements.”
“There’s nothing wrong with drinking and playing cards.” He ran a hand over his hair as it blew upward in the wind. “I’m pretty good at both if I must say so myself.”
“Is that why you are named Ace by any chance?”
His smile
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