Page 1 of Shielding Instinct

Chapter One

Petra

From the moment she first blinked awake to answer the phone, Petra Armstrong knew today was destined for the crapper.

This morning started with a five-thirty phone call that Petra snatched up on the second ring. “What?” she’d croaked. “Who?”

“I was at the emergency room last night.” It was her friend Tamika, and she sounded rough. “I have a bad case of norovirus, and it is truly an experience to behold.”

Petra flung her covers to the side. “Okay, I’m coming. Are you home? What do you need me to pick up?” She pulled her legs from the warm nest of blankets and planted her feet onto wooden floorboards that radiated cold into her bare toes.

“Nothing,” Tamika said. “Right now, I’m set. Diamond’s daddy came to pick her up last night to get her away from my kooties. He’s getting her to school today. And I’ve got backup to help me if necessary. Though child, I’m just sayin’, no one should come near me cuz no one needs to catch this mess.”

“I’m so sorry this happened.” Petra flopped back onto her pillow and pulled the covers back in place. The sound of ice pinging against her windowpanes made for the kind of morning when it felt good to snuggle under the covers. “Are you home now?”

“Home, and I’m all set up. I’m tucked into a sleeping bag that I laid out on the bathroom floor, and I’ve got bottles of electrolytes and a box of saltines within reach.”

“Gross.”

“You don’t even know the half of it,” Tamika’s voice was weak and raspy.

Petra looked at her phone to get the time. “Okay, you just rest and recover. I’ll call the airlines and cancel our seats.”

“You’ll do no such thing. Now listen, I know you hate changing things up. You are, my friend, the antithesis of spontaneity. And if I didn’t see first-hand how fast you shift gears to become the go-to gal in any emergency, I’d never believe it. You know it can take a lot of patience and cajoling to get you on board with a new plan. You’re like a barge on the ocean.”

“Too early. Too preachy,” Petra already knew what Tamika would tell her—go without me.

“Now—I’m saying this with love in my heart—you’re still going to St. Croix even though I can’t be there,” Tamika said. “Period. End of sentence.”

Yup. There it was. “But—”

“No buts. You just go on and pretend that I’m in the bathroom, which is, in fact, where I’ll be. You do what we planned. The only thing that’ll be different is that I’m not sitting next to you,” Tamika was using her mom-voice, the one she used on Diamond when Tamika was laying down the law.

Petra pulled her brows in tight. “But—”

“Uh-uh. Off you go. Have a cocktail on the beach for me. Call me from St. Croix and tell me you love it.”

Petra blinked at the patch of light on her wall made from the glow of the streetlamp.

St. Croix by herself; she tried on the idea.

Petra traveled alone all the time for work. She couldn’t remember a time when she went on a solo trip for pleasure. That wasn’t, in her mind, fun at all. Travel was for creating shared stories.

That wasn’t even the issue. Petra just wasn’t a St. Croix kind of person. She had only been going down to the islandto support Tamika as she went to see where her parents got married, and to scatter their ashes in the ocean.

Petra couldn’t bring herself to make the shift from supporting a friend to being down there all alone and without purpose. “Cocktails on the beach feels kind of sacrilegious given our reason for going in the first place,” she said softly so as not to sound like she was rebuking her friend.

“Iknewyou’d say that. So how about this? Do a rethink and make this a retreat of sorts—communing with nature, stilling your mind, exercising your body, getting ready for your new job title.”

“That feels like it ticks the right boxes. Although, St. Croix isn’t a place I would’ve chosen to do on my own.”

“Listen, a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Just keep going with the plans. Take nice hikes, enjoy beautiful sunsets, get good sleep, and maybe find a fine man to tumble around with. Cuz when you get back, you’re going to be busy saving the world.”

“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” Petra laughed, “as soon as I get home.” She laid a cool palm on her forehead to focus her thoughts. “I’ll admit I was looking forward to eating without needing to cook and clean up after myself.” She tried to rally some enthusiasm so Tamika wouldn’t feel bad that their plans had gone awry.

“Admit it, you were just thinking about pizza in bed in front of a movie.”

“Guilty pleasure,” Petra retorted. “Don’t judge.”

---