The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1734

In a split second, he took a bullet in the back to shield Arabella, pushing her behind a pillar for cover.

The bullet made his face contort in pain.

As for the other bullets, some grazed his clothes and some embedded in the concrete, but luckily none found their mark on him.

But the pain, from that single bullet that hit him, spread like wildfire through his flesh.

Breathless from a daring sprint up 18 flights of stairs, and having weaved through several goons on his way, he now stood in front of his sister, taking a bullet meant for her. The impact tore through the stitches from his recent surgery, and blood slowly stained his white sweater; the spreading crimson bloom painted a grisly picture.

Steward saw Sean was hurt and immediately, along with his men, took out the shooters lurking in the shadows.

A few people with knives charged at them, only to be swiftly dealt with by Horace.

Arabella stared at Sean with confusion. She did not understand why he had chosen to save her.

If it wasn't for him catching the bullet for her, she would have been dead.

What was he playing at?

"Let's go," Sean's breath became heavy, his voice rough with pain as he grabbed his sister's wrist and started to rush down the stairs.

Arabella noticed his back was soaked with blood.

The bullet was still in his flesh.

Horace took down a few more assailants and quickly followed in their steps.

Steward, realizing they were running out of time, gave the order, and motioned for all his men to leave.

The clock of the bomb was ticking down.

The closer to the explosion, the more piercing the ticking became.

Sean, holding his sister's wrist, had just sprinted a dozen yards from the abandoned building when a deafening boom erupted. The building collapsed like a house of cards into rubble, with smoke billowing and flames reaching to the sky. The earth shook, the blast hurling them through the air for yards.