Stranded with the Billionaire

I R E N A

Sage  didn’t talk about the kiss for the rest of the night. In fact, he didn’t move to kiss her again. It was as if their former campsite held all the magic, and in the new place everything was still going as usual.

Her soft breathing could be heard a few millimeters from where she lay. Although they hadn’t kissed again, he thought it would be a good idea if they slept in the same sleeping bag. This way, they can share their body temperature and stay close  in case something decides to rush out of the forest and attack them.

What he didn’t mention was that being around him without knowing what they were was really torture for Irena . But she felt stupid  asking. Who does it these days? Is there a discussion to define the relationship? God, she’s going to look like a loser.

She lay on her side,  arms crossed over her chest. She began to take deep breaths, held her breath, then released. She wanted his body to relax, and soon he did.

The sun emerged in the little hut-like structure Sage  had built. Irena  closed her eyes. She wasn’t ready to wake up yet. As if she had just fallen asleep. Moaning, she lay down on her stomach and buried her face in her sleeping bag.

She reached out to find Sage . Of course he’s gone. Why is he hanging out in a sleeping bag with the woman he just shared a crazy kiss with? She stroked his head with her fingers, hoping that would erase the memory of his lips pressing against hers. She desperately wants their relationship  back to normal.

Unable to sleep, Irena  flung the blanket off her body and sat up. The flame was extinguished in a steady burn. Titan  was lying next to him, his head sandwiched between his legs. She didn’t see Sage . Where has he been?

The rustling o

f leaves beside her made her heart race. She exhaled to calm her nerves. That’s just Sage . That is all.

Titan  jumped to his feet. His bark echoed in the morning air. The heat made Irena  shiver as she stared at the dog. Does he know something that she doesn’t?

“Titan , shut up!” she speaks. If it was an animal, she didn’t want the stupid dog to lure her near.

Titan  did not back down. His barking deepened as his upper lip curled. Irena ‘s heart raced. That’s not Sage . That’s something else. She curled her legs into her body, hiding inside the structure.

The rustling grew louder, followed by a low growl. Her heart stopped beating as a giant brown bear emerged from behind the leaves. Titan  continued to bark as he stepped back.

The bear looked around as it slid out of the trees and into their camp. She stifled a groan as he lifted his nose into the air. She could see his nostrils flare as he turned his head from side to side.

Placing her mouth on her knee, she swallowed hard at the fear exploding in her chest. Titan  seemed to have regained his strength and approached the bear. Her lips curled up, exposing her teeth.

Irena  sings in her head to make Titan  step back. She didn’t like the dog, but she didn’t want to see it hurt. But telepathy shouldn’t work on animals. Titan  remained wary from time to time, mustering up his courage to pounce on the bear.

She watched with wide eyes as the bear wandered around the camp as if  the place belonged to him. It didn’t pay attention to Titan . It was as if Titan , who had terrified her when she first met him, was just an annoying flea that the bear wouldn’t even scratch.

Maybe if she kept quiet, the bear would get bored and leave. Just as she was allowing herself to hope, Titan  lunged forward and snapped at the bear’s front paw, and the bear let out a low, bark-like growl. Titan  is in trouble. She pulled the blanket off her knees and jumped off the dome. His hands are outstretched. Why is his hand outstretched? What will she  do against a grizzly bear?

The bear turned his head in his direction and his heart sank. His growl deepened as he stood up on his hind legs.

“Titan . Run!” She shouted. She did the only thing she could think of: fell to the ground. Her body trembled as she covered her head with her hands and waited for the blow.

But it didn’t come.

Instead, Titan ‘s growl sounded first, followed by a groan. She could hear fighting above, but she was too scared to look up. From the sounds above, she knew they were fighting and she feared the outcome.

Painful and painful feelings ran through her. All too familiar. Again, she was a child, hiding under the bed, listening to her father beat her mother. And  she couldn’t do anything about it.

Her hearing decreases as she closes her eyes tighter. She wanted her body to stop shaking. She wanted her heart to calm down. She is useless. Neither did the Titan.

A shot through the air. She looked up and saw Sage  dashing out of the woods. He was shouting something at her, but she couldn’t hear the words. His ears buzzed, cutting off all sound.

He signaled to the retreating bear and then signaled it to get up. The signals make sense, but his body doesn’t process them. She watched him kneel beside Titan ‘s collapsed body.

The look of destruction told her everything she needed to know and everything she feared. He died. Gone. Killed trying to protect her.

Her chest rose and fell as a sob escaped her lips. Titan  is dead. Another person in her life  died because she was weak. She buried her face in her hands. Why did she leave the shelter? The bear seems to be less threatened by Titan  than she is. It was his fault, he died.

She was lying on the grass feeling heavy. What will Sage  tell her? She killed her dog. His best friend. She wouldn’t be surprised if he left her to fend for herself in the desert. After all, it seems the only thing she’s good at is slowing him down.

“Are you hurt?” Sage ‘s frantic voice interrupted her thoughts as he shook her shoulder.

Turning her head to the side, she looked at him. “What?” she asked. His eyes were puffy and his features were barely visible.

“I said, are you hurt?”

Irena is face down on the floor. “No,” she whispered. But she should be.