Stranded with the Billionaire

S A G E

There were too many emotions in Sage ‘s body to understand any of them. There was a bear. Titan  is seriously injured. And Irena  sat on the floor, shaking all over.

Overwhelmed with what to do first, Sage  lets his natural instincts kick in. He leaned his gun against a tree and walked over to Irena . He needs her to gather her wits and help him. Most Titan ‘s lacerations aren’t that deep. But there was one that was bleeding. He put his hand on his shoulder. She turned to look at him. His eyes were red and stains were on his cheeks.

His pulse is beating fast. Does the bear also achieve it?

Her face disappears as she turns her head  to the ground. “Leave me alone,” she whispered.

Sage  has seen this before. She was shocked. He needed to assure himself that she was safe. He pushed her up there. His fiery gaze met hers as he stretched out his legs. There’s not much time left to procrastinate. If she was hurt, he must know by now.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she tried to stand up.

“I need to see if you’re okay.”

She pulled her jacket closer to her  as she pulled away from him. “I told you I was fine.”

Sage  was tired of his stubbornness. “No. What you said was that you weren’t hurt. I have to make sure it’s true.” His gaze swept over her. Relief filled his chest when he saw that there was no more blood left. He seemed to have control of his limbs. She used her arms and legs to pull herself up.

“I told you I’m fine.” She wrapped her arms around his chest as her face twisted. He could tell she was struggling not to look at Titan .

She turned around and tripped over  a log  Sage  had pulled into the fireplace the night before. She put her head on it and raised her head  to the sky.

“Good. Titan  needs your help,” Sage  said.

Her expression turned sour as she looked at him. “That’s not fun.” went to his bag and opened it, rummaging around until he found the sewing kit he’d picked up on the plane.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but Titan  needs our help.” He motioned for her to follow as he passed her and headed towards Titan .

He knelt  in front of his dog, which turned its head slightly towards him. “It’s okay man. I’m here.” He choked back the tears welling up in his eyes. He shook his head vigorously. Now is not the time to let your emotions run wild. Titan  needs him.

Irena ‘s shadow fell over them as she stood beside him. “The duke isn’t dead?” she asked in a low voice.

“He will  if I don’t heal this wound.” He pointed to the bloodstain that had blurred the fur.

Irena  fell to the floor and reached out to pat Titan ‘s head. “He saved me,” she whispered.

Sage  looked at her. “Then surround him, save him.”

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. The cold expression made his gaze hard. “Okay,” she said.

“Tell me what to do.”

Sage  asks Irena  to keep Titan  still while he cleans the cut. Titan  fights him first but quickly becomes limp. He must have passed out from the pain. For a moment, Sage  worried about Titan  leaving, but he was relieved to see the dogs breathing hard but clearly.

After saying that, he fell backwards. He did all he could. It’s at Titan  now. He raised his hand. Titan ‘s blood was all over his skin. Every time he looked at her, he felt like throwing. He needs to wash it.

“I’m going to  wash my hands,” he muttered, stumbling away from Irena . She was crouching beside Titan , patting her head over and over again.

It seemed endless until he found the river and knelt before it. He dipped his hand in the freezing water. He rushed to his skin, bringing blood with him. He stared at her, then his stomach heaved.

After his body  expelled what was left of his stomach, he sat down, not caring if the water wet his clothes or not. Titan  is injured. What if he can’t do it? What if he’s gone? Sage  would do anything to go back in time and stay instead of hunting this morning. Perhaps if he hadn’t gone, Titan  wouldn’t have clung to life in a tiny thread.

His shoulders shook as he covered his face with his hands. Again he made the wrong choice and everyone got hurt. He couldn’t save anyone. It’s stupid to think it’s wise to be friends with anyone. Why he thinks things have changed is beyond him.

He looked at the river, the sound of its movement filling his ears. He should be alone. No one gets hurt when he’s alone.

After recovering mentally, he got up and headed back to the campsite. Irena  had moved about a foot away from Titan , and she was hunched over, staring at a piece of paper. He stopped himself. What’s that?

Shaking his head, he crept through the trees. It is probably nothing. When he looked at her, his heart went  to her. She seems so small. It’s weak. And he thought it would be good for him to get involved with her.

The promise he had made to her yesterday flashed through her mind. He promises to protect her and watch – not only has he crashed  with her, but now she’s almost died from a bear attack.

It’s all his fault. It would be better to move away. Keep her away. It will hurt, but it will be for the best. For both. He stretched and stepped through the bushes. Irena  jumped when she turned to meet his gaze. She dropped the piece of paper behind her. He was even more curious when he saw her covering him with some dry leaves.

What is she looking at? She seems very embarrassed about it. Brett’s photo was in his pocket and it was at the bottom of the glacial lake. So what is it? He looked at her for a moment, then shook off his embarrassment. It is probably nothing.

“Is he okay?” he asked as he walked over to Titan.

“I’m not sure,” she said. His voice was weak.

Sage  nodded.  We have to move. I don’t know if the bear is going to come back or not. It will be better if we continue.

“Transfer Titan ?” His eyebrows raised.

“Not ideal, but we can’t stay here. If there’s a chance we can hit someone in the woods, we have to move. Now.”

“But-”

“Now, Irena . You’ve done enough.” The words tasted bitter on the tip of his tongue, but now was not the time for him to stop and explain things to make her feel better. Furthermore, they need to separate themselves from each other.

As he bravely looked in her direction, a feeling of satisfaction welled up in his stomach. Her lips pursed and her pale skin was replaced with flushed cheeks. He will make her sad. Good. They just need to survive until he is found,  then he can disappear and never come back.

She stood up with her arms crossed. “Good.” It gasped as it passed through the trees and disappeared. As her footsteps faded, Sage  looked over to where she had been sitting before. He leaned down and patted Titan ‘s head. He’s still alive, thank God. Sage  felt so weak. He couldn’t do anything to pull his dog over. That’s Titan ‘s will  now.

Not wanting to be distracted, Sage  walked over to the small pile of papers Irena  had placed on it and stared  at it. Should he pick it up? Looks like Irena  doesn’t want you to know you’re there.

He turns around but stops. Beneath a particularly brilliant red paper, he saw the letters. He looked down  to get a better look. Is that his name? He looked around before pushing his shoes off.

Sage

She wrote something about him. Well, now you have to look. He bent down to pick up the newspaper, the papers falling to the floor at his feet. His spine burned as he read the article  she scribbled on.

After saying that, he clenched his jaw. So that’s what Irena Derrick really thinks of him.