Stranded with the Billionaire

S A G E

Sage watched as Irena disappear into the tunnel. His head ached as fear pierced him. What if something happened to him? He used to be very confident in his ability to survive, but now that confidence is gone. Maybe it has to do with the fact that two more lives depend on him. When he’s alone, it doesn’t matter if he puts himself in life-threatening situations. That’s just him.

“Let’s go, Titan!” he called and hissed.

Sage  poked his head  behind a rock. He glanced at TItan, barked,  then ran. Sage grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into the tunnel.

Sage ‘s fingernails scratch the ice, but Sage doesn’t give in. They just had to go far enough into the tunnel that the entrance was no longer visible. Then Sage  will settle down.

“How are you, Irena ?” Sage shouted. He waited as silence settled around him. He struggled to hear her despite the sound of his heart beating.

“So wet,  my feet hurt.” His voice echoed from the tunnel walls.

He exhaled the breath he was holding back. She was safe. “Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Wait for me somewhere.” Titan  and I will catch up.

“Okay.”

Sage dragged Titan down the tunnel, leaned back, and led the way with his feet. His shoes slipped several times on the wet ice, but he didn’t fall. After a few turns, he found Irena leaning against an iceberg jutting out from the side of the tunnel.

With the entrance already behind them, Sage  took his seat. He lowered himself onto the ice and pulled himself behind Sage .

“I have to bring the dog,” she exhaled.

“Titan is my man,” Sage said, reaching out and ruffling the dog’s fur.

Irena shook her head.

“You don’t like dogs?”

“Is it that obvious?”

Sage looked at her. “How can you not love dogs? It’s like a human thing to love them. This is why they are called “man’s best friends”.

Irena moved and slid deeper down the tunnel,  Sage following.

“A German shepherd bit me once when I was a child. They haven’t been my best friends since then,” she said as she slid down an iceberg.

“So because you encountered a bad dog, suddenly all bad dogs?”

She was silent for a moment. “It’s more about self-protection. Why allow yourself to trust an animal that might not be trustworthy? Keep your distance and they’ll never hurt you.”

Sage looked at her. “Are we talking about dogs or people?”

She stopped moving. For a moment, he was afraid that he would say the wrong thing. She looked up at him and her throat tightened. She was hurt. And not just  an animal. There were people in her life who let her down. The feeling in his chest told him what he wanted to know. For some reason, he has a desire to fix the pain  emanating from her.

He swallowed, forcing himself not to  speak. He didn’t want to frighten this elusive woman. She is attractive and spoiled. And every time he talks to her, he wants to fix whatever she’s struggling with.

He smiled at her  and nodded toward the tunnel. “We should move on,” he said.

She glanced in the direction he had signaled, then back at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but a crackling sound echoed through the wall.

Sage ‘s breath caught in his throat. He didn’t have time to think let alone move.

Before he could do anything, a huge rift formed between him and Irena . He let go of Titan’s collar and dashed down, reaching out to grab it.

She moved and moved. Her eyes widened as she reached out and grabbed his arm. “Help me,” she whispered as the ice began to separate from the glacier.

Sage wants his arm to reach farther than he knows he can. But he came up with a succinct way. Irena ‘s fingers slipped from hers, and the iceberg she was sitting on fell, taking her with her. It plunges into the lake below, spewing water around.

Cursed, Sage studied the object falling in front of him. He stared at the iceberg, wanting Irena back to the surface. He’s still about 60 feet above the water, but he needs to get down.

She could be trapped under the ice. She may have hit her head on the way down. When she doesn’t surface, Sage knows he only has a moment to get down and save her.

Throwing his bag on the shore below, he lay on his stomach and pushed his legs down. He glanced  at Titan.

“Follow me, boy,” he said, and then he let go of his lips and dived into the freezing cold water. It made his skin ache. It was as if tiny daggers pierced his body as he floated to the surface.

“Irena !” he yelled as he swam towards the iceberg. He couldn’t see her. Taking  a deep breath, he pushed into the water and searched for the depth of the lake.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he found her sinking a few feet away. With all his might, he swam towards her. After wrapping his arms around her, he directed his body to the surface of the water. But it has been so far. Why is it so far?

His lungs are on fire. His heart pounded in his chest. Every part of his body was calling for oxygen. He kicks his feet as he continues to push towards the surface. He will get there eventually.

Just before the defeat, he worked his muscles one last time and came to the  surface. He gasped  and leaned back, placing Irena against his chest. He paused for a moment, taking in as much air as he could.

Unable to breathe anymore, he gritted his teeth and dashed towards the shore. But,  like the water, the shore seems so far away. Like he could never get there. Every time he glanced at the rocky shore, his heart tightened. It was as if he were crawling towards her.

He was delighted when he felt the ground under his feet. He half carried, half pulled Irena to shore. After discovering a flat land, he forced his muscles to move towards it. After placing her on the bed, he lay down next to her.

“Irena ?” he asked,  teeth chattering.

Her eyes were closed and her lips were pale. Swearing, he put his ear to her lips and studied her breasts. Nothing.

Opening her mouth, he covered her mouth and blew into her throat. His ribs lifted off the oxygen. He moved to the sternum and pressed down. He counted each compression in his head, pausing only to inhale more air into his body.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

She must live. She just had to. He promised to protect her, now what? She is leaving him and there is nothing he can do.

“Let’s go, Irena !” he shouted as he bent down and filled his lungs with air. His arm was numb, but he fought  the pain. He cannot stop now. “You can’t leave me,” he whispered as failure began to swarm around him. If he didn’t take off his wet clothes, he wouldn’t even save himself, let alone Irena . And that’s not a decision he wants to make  now.

Despite all his words about wanting to be alone, the thought of losing her after he promised to take care of her scared him. That’s why he couldn’t go to his father’s funeral by himself. Why he was reckless, drunk and crashed into his father’s boat. The thought of a failed life made his chest tighten again. “Please,” he said, glancing at Irena ‘s pale face. “Do not leave me.”

A sensational sound next to him. Glancing up, he saw that TItan had jumped into the water from above. As he continued to press his chest, Sage watched  the dog swim to shore. He was grateful for the distraction that watching Sage  provided. He couldn’t turn his attention back to Irena ‘s gray skin and lifeless body. He was afraid that if he looked, he would have to admit that she was gone. And that he  failed. Again.

Her teeth chattering as she closed her eyes. Thirty seconds and then he’ll stop. He would give her another thirty  seconds before she needed to warm up. He looked at her.

“Can you hear me? Thirty  seconds, and then you have to wake up or I have to stop.” He said it in his head. In his heart he begged her to wake up.

A crackle broke his concentration. Looking down, her heart fluttered. She is spraying water and the color is coming back to her skin. He helped  her lie on her side and she vomited on the floor.

When she  finished, he helped her sit up, then put his arm around her.

“You’re alive,” he breathed, savoring each moment to enjoy the feel of her body against his. He reached out  to feel his chest rise and fall.

She shivered as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Heat. She needs warmth. “I’ll be right back,” he said, suddenly energized by the task at hand.

He ran as fast as he could, grabbing some dry branches. Movement helps keep his muscles warm. The thought of Irena suffering from hypothermia burned in her stomach.

He can save her. And he won’t stop until he does.