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

shifter aspect wasn’t the problem. It was the fact that other people didn’t seem to be as accepting of shapeshifting as she was. She had convinced herself she could once again love someone who might accidentally die in the line of duty. She had made her peace with that. But could she love someone who was being actively hunted down by men who wanted to kill him? Ace himself had said the risk was high. He hadn’t sugarcoated anything for her. Jade appreciated his honesty, but the conversation had left her with a serious decision to make.
    How much risk was she willing to face to spend her life with someone she loved? Could she really go forward with a relationship, knowing that there was a good chance it might end with her once again calling a funeral home to make arrangements? Was it true what Tennyson, that famous poet, had once said: ‘Tis better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all ? Jade wrestled with these thoughts for the better part of an hour, but, deep within her soul, she knew she had already made her decision. She had already given her heart to Ace. She had already let herself be drawn to him, and, whether she liked it or not, she already worried about him.
    She couldn’t imagine life without him anymore. If their time together turned out to be shorter than she had hoped for, then she would accept that as best she could. But she also wasn’t giving up on her optimism yet. Love could overcome a lot. Maybe, together, they could figure out a way to beat back the evil trying to overcome Ace and his friends.
    Jade suddenly felt a rush of excitement coursing through her veins. She loved Ace. He was here, on this earth now. That’s all that mattered. Every day they had together would be a gift. And, who knew? The universe might see fit to give them many years together. Either way, she was going to stop living in constant fear, and start enjoying the life of love waiting right in front of her.
    Jade sat up in her bed. She knew it was late, and that Ace was tired. But she couldn’t wait until morning to tell him her decision. He was right outside her bedroom door, sleeping alone on the couch when he should be sleeping in her arms. She would go tell him how she felt right now. She would let him know that, come what may, she would be standing by his side.
    As Jade climbed out of her bed, she glanced out her bedroom window once more, just in time to see a shooting star streaking across the sky. She smiled. Another sign—she was making the right decision.
    She opened the door quietly and tiptoed into the living room. Ace was lying on the couch, his chest rising and falling with the rhythm of sleep. Jade took a deep breath and walked over next to him. She gently nudged his arm, and his eyes opened almost instantly, wide and alert. When he saw that she was the one who had woken him, he relaxed.
    “Jade?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing’s wrong,” she said. “But I haven’t been able to sleep. I’ve been thinking about you. About us.”
    Ace sat up on his elbow, and Jade saw that he had taken off his shirt. His arms and chest were naked in all their perfect, brawny splendor. “You’ve been awake this whole time?” he asked, surprised.
    Jade nodded. “I realized, after mulling it all over in my head, that I don’t want to run the other way from my feelings for you. I’ll admit that everything you told me was a lot to take in. It was much heavier than I could have ever anticipated. But it doesn’t really change things for me.”
    Jade looked down at her feet, then took another deep breath and looked back at Ace. “It doesn’t change the fact that I love you.”
    Ace’s eyes widened at her words. Jade knew declaring her love was a big step, but she also knew how she felt. She had been through too much to play games or dance around her feelings. She had reached the point in her life where she wasn’t afraid to tell someone she loved that she felt that way. She knew all too