Royal On The Run (unedited)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Deacon

I couldn't blame Naomi for hating the need to move to another safe house, it wasn't fun, it bloody sucked to be honest. But if it meant my sister remained alive and sat up it the throne when this was all said and done, I'd side with Sebastian and keep wth her alive and moving. And now, with the Red Guard finding our location and bearing down on us, we didn't have time to waste.

Naomi was struggling to climb with her shoulder, I could tell she was gritting her teeth as she heaved herself up. I pushed against her leg. "You can do it, Nai."

A hiss left her mouth. "I can't, Deac. It feels like it's on fire." Her words cracked under a wave of crying. We were barely over halfway up. "It hurts so damn bad."

I wanted to sympathize, and I did, but we didn't have time for this. Not when with each second we lost here meant the Red Guard drew closer. Especially with them having vehicles, it made our situation even more dire.

"You have to, Nai. Promise I'll carry you once we're up there, but you have to go now."

Naomi didn't respond. She tried to heave herself up with a grunt but sagged and fell down the ladder. She kept hold with her right and came to a stop when my shoulder got in her way. The impact nearly sent me down the ladder as well. She was clutching her arm and sobbing.

This was going to have to fall on me now. Taking a deep breath, with her weight on my shoulder, I put her other leg around me and, as if I was carrying her piggyback, I heaved us up the ladder, my royal military training coming in real handy.

Sebastian peered over the lip of the entrance. His sword was gleaming in the moonlight. "What the hell is taking so long?" Then he saw Naomi's face. He turned his death glare to me once he made sure the Red Guard hadn't approached yet. "What happened to her?"

Did he really have to ask that question right now? I growled up at him. "Her damn arm is still recovering from a bullet wound if you forgot, Sebastian. It's hurting her."

I heard him let out a breath, we were nearing the top. I only knew we'd reached it when Naomi's weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I climbed out and saw Sebastian throw Naomi over a shoulder, just as he had right after she got the wound.

From the look on her face, Naomi wasn't conscious anymore either. It was like déjà vu.

"Where do we go?" I asked.

Sebastian barely glanced at me as we heard the sound of vehicles coming our way. "Shit." He blew out a breath. "We run, Deacon."

"Where?" I stood.

"Away!" He roared and ran just as headlights peered through the falling snow. "Run!"

That was one thing I didn't need to be told twice. My feet skidded along the fluffy snow but I managed to keep just behind Sebastian. Naomi's head was bouncing off his back. I didn't like her looking like a plastic doll being thrown about very which way, but perhaps it was better than her being awake and running herself. With her shoulder hurting her, there was no way she'd be able to keep up. She'd have been caught the moment she left the bunker.

The sounds of the vehicles approaching had my heart Newley beating out of my chest. I was skidding in the snow, tripping over my own feet, barely keeping up with Sebastian who somehow hadn't managed to trip once. I would have thought that with Naomi's extra weight on his shoulders mixed with the snow on the ground that he'd lose his bearings. He didn't. He truly would keep Naomi safe no matter what came at him, at us.