What the fuck?!

My eyes almost bulge out of their sockets when he said that. That can't be! Nathen held up a small white envelope that had already been opened. Immediately I snatched it out of his hands and looked inside to see its contents. The letter was the first thing I pulled out.

Sophia

I understand that you now know the truth of my intentions. Indeed, I do want you. However, thanks to my brother, things have already been made more difficult than it had to be. Therefore, I only ask that you come to me. There is a one-way plane ticket for you and you alone to Iquitos, Peru. I've already left, and your friend Lizzy has hopped on for the ride. She's enjoying herself. But I promise that no harm will come to her and when you come, she will be released and return home. However, if you don't come or bring someone with you or tell anyone about this, she will be your replacement and will have a pleasure of a lifetime.

Adrian

I chucked the letter away. It was so disgusting. He was just so cruel and manipulative. Nobody should trust a snake. Nobody and yet I did. I looked inside once more and found the plane ticket. The flight was in a few days. But behind that was a photo of Adrian with his arms wrapped around Lizzy. No doubt she was being hypnotized.

"Oh, Lizzy...why did you have to get involved in this?" tears started to build up in my eyes. Nathen placed a hand on my shoulder to try and comfort me. Instead, I almost curled up into him as I cried with my injured leg still out being tender from the bite. It had turned into a nightmare.

"I'm sorry, Sophia." Nathen said softly, "I'm so sorry."

A day later, I started out getting ready for the flight which on the ticket was in two days. I was only going to carry a little and made a sudden excuse at work that I will be going away for an emergency and telling my parents that I'm going on holiday. Though both would soon find out that it would be one that I won't return.

Soon there was a knock on the door. I did my best to walk over to it with my leg still healing from the bite. It made me shiver in disgust at how it looked. It was still a bit swollen. Nathen's supposed antidote was working faster than what I had to go through with the last bite. I opened to Nathen smiling which brought a sense of comfort.

"How's it going?" he asked as he entered. I could only sigh heavily.

"Slowly." Before proceeding to sit down on the couch. "I'm not sure how much or what to take."

"I recommend something for summer. It gets extremely hot and humid in the rainforest." He answered.

"It's just would I need them considering that the rest of my living life once I'm with him?" Already, I would be starting to think of all the things he would do to me. It made me depressed about it, but I cannot let someone else replace me and live the rest of my life in guilt that my best friend suffered the fate that was meant for me.

Nathen sat down next to me.

"I promise I will help you as much as I can." He said, "I may not be able to come with you, but I can come after you." I looked at him with a glimmer of hope but only a small bit.

"But how well can you go against your brother?" I asked, "Didn't you and Adrian get into a fight about a month ago or so?"

"Ah yes," he frowned with a bit of seriousness, "I remember that one. He was aggressive as would any naga defending a mate from an intruder, but last time was a warning that I did not listen. If I go again, he will likely kill me. Brother or not."

"Is it really worth it?" I exclaimed, "Is my life really worth yours?"

"Yes," he nodded, "But I'm also doing this for Alice. She was my mate, and he took her. That I cannot forgive, and it will be a fight to the death this time."

I still wonder why? He killed Alice and yet he wanted me. Was it all because it was how Nathen was going to treat her? Was he really that traditional about keeping mates under control? I sigh heavily and buried my head in my hands. Already, it was taking a toll on me. And I still got a long way to go.

Shit. That's all I felt like. I wasn't sure if it was the fate I was facing or the long flight into Coronel FAP Francisco Secada Vignetta International Airport. Stepping out of the plane I could already feel the heat and humidity. Though inside was okay. My eyes were scanning around for Adrian. He didn't say anything else other than to arrive in Iquitos. I am here but where was I supposed to go from there. I expected that he may be here to pick me up. That got me worried, seeing him after learning the truth. Now, I was really facing a monster.

But when I got out of custom, to my surprise I spotted a local man wearing sunglasses who was holding a sign with my name on it. It wasn't Adrian but it was weird. Unfortunately, he was looking at me and headed straight towards me.

"Señorita Sophia?" He spoke in a Spanish accent.

"Y-yes?"

"Venga conmigo, por favor." He spoke. I stared at him for a moment. I didn't really take Spanish classes. "Come with me, please."

Red flags were going up in my head. I knew I shouldn't follow a stranger but there was nothing I could do. I could see behind the dark sunglasses. Those bright warm spirals filled his eyes. Adrian may not be here, but he sent this man to collect me.

Noticing that I didn't respond until he took my luggage from me and feeling like a leash had been put on me, I reluctantly followed him. We went outside to the car park before stopping in front of a black Jeep. It was quite dirty with mud mostly covering the bottom.

The man opened the back passenger side door before turning to me and offering me to go in. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before hoping in. Every fibre in my body was still wanting me to run but I try to remember that my friend's life was on the line. If I run, Adrian would know.

I heard the back door shut after the man placed my luggage in before getting into the driver's seat. There was silence in the car as we drove through the city. I try to stare outside the window, but I keep looking through the rear-view mirror that viewed the man's face. I couldn't see if he was looking at me or not with those sunglasses on. I was suddenly startled when he turned on the radio playing local music in Spanish. Turning my head, I looked back outside the window. Watching the streets go by as we headed to wherever Adrian had commanded him to take me.

It was different which at least made me focus on what was outside more than on the man. It was rather calming. For the first time in a few days, I felt at ease at least. My eyes became heavy as the lack of sleep finally caught up to me.