An Alpha's Lightning (Water Bear Shifters 2) by Sloane Meyers Page A

heard Brett’s girlfriend mentioned in conversation on the few occasions that she’d hung out with the guys, but Aubrey’s work schedule was very busy. So far, Jade hadn’t had a chance to meet her.
    The truck pulled up next to Ace’s truck, and the sea lion started barking again. The men all jumped out, nodding briefly at Jade and then throwing a series of rapid fire questions out at Ace. Ace started describing what had just happened, and Jade marveled at how no one seemed the least bit fazed by the fact that he didn’t have a single piece of clothing on his body.
    The woman walked past the men and up to where Jade was still sitting in the passenger seat.
    “Hi,” she said, extending her hand to shake Jade’s. “I’m Aubrey. You must be Jade. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from Brett.”
    “Hi,” Jade said. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about you, too. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
    Aubrey’s green eyes filled with concern. “Are you okay,” she asked.
    “I’m okay,” Jade said, even though her hands were shaking a bit. “The whole attack was just such a shock.”
    Aubrey nodded sympathetically. “I’m sure it was. Come on, let’s get out of here and get this sea lion taken care of. There’s not much we can do to help the guys, anyway.”
    Jade nodded, and Aubrey hopped into the driver’s seat. She made the drive back to the rescue center in silence, somehow knowing where it was without needing to ask Jade for directions. Jade got lost in her own thoughts and worries. When she had broken her own rule and decided to date a man with a dangerous job, she hadn’t ever expected to find herself in this situation. She had told herself that she would deal with whatever came, but somehow that had been an easier decision to make in the abstract. The decision was harder to justify with the cold, hard facts in front of her—a car chase, a wild fight that involved Ace turning into a fierce panda, and then the dead body of a man a few hundred feet away from her.
    When they got to the rescue center, Aubrey helped Jade unload the sea lion and turn him over to the care of the veterinarians. Thankfully, no one mentioned the bloody scratch on Jade’s head, or the fact that Ace had been replaced by a woman they didn’t know. Everyone at the center was too busy with their work to notice details like that. Jade made sure that the sea lion was okay, and then quietly slipped out the side door with Aubrey.
    “Thanks for your help,” Jade said. Aubrey had handled the rescue well, and she hadn’t forced Jade to talk for the whole drive, which Jade appreciated.
    “No problem,” Aubrey said, giving Jade’s upper arm a friendly squeeze. “Come on. I’ll drive you home.”
    Jade nodded, and climbed into the passenger seat. She could hardly wait to reach the peace and safety of her own apartment, where she could finally start sorting out in her mind what had happened.
    She had a lot to think about.

Chapter Ten
     
    Jade wasn’t going to be left alone as soon as she thought. On the drive back to her apartment, Aubrey had insisted on stopping by a Thai restaurant for takeout. Aubrey claimed that she was starving, but Jade had a feeling that Aubrey was trying to stall a little longer to make sure Jade was really okay. Jade didn’t want to be rude to her new friend, so she went along with it. Besides, she did have to eat dinner sometime, right? And she had missed lunch, so her stomach was growling pretty insistently at this point.
    Jade led Aubrey up to her apartment and went to grab a few beers from the fridge.
    “I’ve only got a pale ale right now, is that okay?” Jade called over her shoulder to Aubrey.
    “That’s perfect, thanks!” Aubrey said. The pair settled onto Aubrey’s couch with takeout boxes balanced on their laps and beer bottles in their hands.
    “So, are you okay, really?” Aubrey asked. “Today must have been a pretty rough day.”
    Jade sighed. How much should she