Page 47 of Shielding Instinct

The children!

Petra turned toward where the group that had been on the cliff wall, edging back toward their vehicles to return to the hotel.

Blinking past the burn of salt water, Petra thought it looked like the turn of events stunned the others from the tidepool, but they were untouched.

Lucky hollered, “Miss Armstrong, another wave! It’s coming!”

Petra turned her face to the rock, put her head down, and gripped the surface in preparation.

Again, the wave reached over and around the boulder, tugging hungrily at her legs, trying to loosen her from her perch and steal her away like a pirate with his treasure box of gold.

Panting, Petra turned her head toward the cliff, searching for her best route for escape.

Beans and Lucky were helping the last of the tidal pool revelers onto the path. Both stayed on the cliff as Beans pointed and called out. “Miss Armstrong! Wave!”

How many?

How long would this go on?

Already, she was exhausted from the fight.

This third wave was the highest yet, the water coming to her chest. Her eye—stinging from yesterday’s wonkiness—was on fire from the salinity of the spray.

Her grip slipped, and the sheer power of the tidal force shoved Petra to the side, onto her knees amongst the foam.

Scrambling to find something new to hold, or at least get her feet out in front of her so she wasn’t tumbling headfirst intothe line of boulders, Petra was suddenly jerked backward, held on the land by her hair.

A hand landed on her arm, then released to grab her wrist, and she was hauled back onto her feet.

Lucky.

Lucky had leaped forward and grabbed the only part of her available, protecting her from a treacherous outcome.

His eyes held wide and unblinking with fear and disbelief.

Beans called from the cliff. “That was all. No more waves. No morebigwaves. I’ll watch. But hurry.”

No one needed to tell Petra twice. Her sunglasses and flip flops out to sea, Petra’s dress wrapped her thighs as she reached for the hand Lucky extended to her.

“My lucky day to have such a brave guy watching out for me.” Petra tried for light as she tapped her boob to make sure her phone in its waterproof case was still in place.

Lucky looked traumatized as he pointed toward Beans and the cliff wall and started back.

Poor kid needed a stiff drink.

On bare feet, picking her way painfully over the sharp rocks, Petra froze when she heard a second scream.

This one was a different beast.

The first scream was fear and shock. It was the warning that Petra needed to stay safe from the initial rogue wave.

This scream was the anguished cry that goes up when a loved one is pronounced dead. A call to the Heavens.

It sent a wave of horror through Petra’s system, making her gag as she tried to vomit the sensation out of her gut.

But body and mind were at cross purposes.

Petra turned and flew over the rocks toward the screams, Lucky following behind.

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