Royal On The Run (unedited)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Deacon

Natalie wasn't letting me out of her sight, so we were locking arms the entire way back to the cave safe house. Blake was behind us, looking for any danger from behind while Natalie looked ahead. I could only look at the ground.

I was so cold. Every part of me seemed to be frozen. It was a stupid thing I'd done and I easily could've died, as Natalie had already reminded me of that fact ten times, but it was necessary. It gave Sebastian time to carry Naomi far away from the Red Guard and Anthony. I just hoped it was a good enough distraction and my sister was safe with her bodyguard.

Natalie pinched my cheek as we reached the now deserted entrance to the cave. While the Red Guard hadn't actually come near the cave entrance, we'd taken precautions and zigzagged our way back through the storm. I turned to glare at her, I'd always hated having my cheeks pinched and she always made sure to do it to irritate me. She only smiled back at me.

"I didn't know if I'd see you again. Looks like Sebastian took care of you well for me."

He had. "He's a good bodyguard. He did care more for Naomi but that was to be expected. I pissed him off a few times though."

Natalie laughed and I joined her. From behind us, even Blake gave a small laugh at that. It seemed to amuse everyone when Sebastian got a little irritation sent his way.

"He could use it now and then." Blake murmured, coming around us to open the hatch. He motioned down. "Can you climb down or can I drop you in?"

I glared at him as I removed myself from Natalie's hold. "I may almost be a human popsicle but I can still move."

He grinned. "Then hurry up and get down and get warm. We're freezing up here as well." To emphasize his point, he grabbed my arm and yanked me to the entrance. "My balls are freezing out here, Prince, let's get a move on."

It was almost as amusing to annoy him as it was Sebastian. But seeing Natalie shake in place from the cold had me climbing down. The bars were slick and my hands nearly froze to them as I made my way down.

Once I hit the bottom, I ran for the bathroom. It was already much warmer and dryer down here, my body thawed with every step.

The shower was running scolding hot water before I was undressed. I didn't wait to get undressed before jumping in and letting the warm water embrace me and trickle down my back in a steady stream. As my body thawed, I thought.

What was I going to do next? What could I do next? I couldn't just stay here. I had to see if my distraction had worked and Naomi and Sebastian were safe, far away from here. Now that I had Natalie and Blake with me, they could help me piece together my thoughts and come up with a plan.

My mind went utterly blank. As I removed my clothes, letting the water pound at my bare skin, I realized I couldn't think. I was tired and sore, and entirely out of the loop now. I had no way to contact Sebastian. I had no way of knowing if he got Naomi to safety. What had my distraction really done, if it had even worked as I'd wanted it too.

I ran my hand through my hair. My body was slowly beginning to feel like mine again instead of a human popsicle.

A knock at the door sounded though I didn't turn off the water, it felt too good. I had to think of something, make my mind work. I had to know if my sister was safe, if my Queen was safe.