Yisrael shifted around, feeling her warm body nestled into him. He opened his eyes and broke a smile when he saw River staring up at him.

"What?"

She gulps, shaking her head. "Nothing. It's just that- I have never slept with anyone before and I didn't think I'd like it."

He drew her in deeper, her head pillowed on his surprisingly soft mountain shoulder.

Tracing her hip, he leaned down to kiss her sweetened lips. The thick weight of his arousal pressed upon her mons.

His hand curled around her throat, his broad thumb caressing the pulse at the base. She shivered in his arms, gazing into his eyes. The longing in hers were unabashed.

The cave had gone dark with the silvery moon reflecting in the guzzle curtain of the tumultuous waterfall behind her, it gave a slice of light on his face.

She had called him ruined beauty the first day she met him. How could she call him that when he had ruined her into a crumbling gritty mess of herself?

She wanted to know everything. Every last fiber of his being should be undone and exposed to her.

"You never spoke of your mum."

There was crease at the corners of his succulent black eyes but they relaxed as he snuggled into her more. His skin sweet like brandy.

"My mom was-" He let out a chuckle of adoration. "-the only lady to tell me what was what and who was who. No disguises. No flowering words. She gave it to me straight. I think I learnt that from her. Unlike my father who is a bit cryptic, I never saw the need to hide."

He pointedly looked at her and she felt the blush reddening.

"I suppose you are an expert on that."However, he didn't seem to mock or pass any judgement. Between those words, he was asking something. He was asking why.

She circled her fingernail over his left side of his chest, for the first time feeling the similar stumpy beat that rained in her.

"I suppose you are right but it was all done in the prospect of trying to save myself from getting hurt. I have seen how men use women and leave them discarded."

Then, she made a hint to perversely glance at him. He remained unruffled.

"I do have a past, River but it's nothing as significant as this."

She pulled back, an impressed utterance fell upon her features. "You know for a man whose second language is English, you have remarkable hold on it."

He shrugged. "My dad is learned. He believed the vessel of learning never empties."

Then an idea struck her. With a slight show of hesitation, she stated. "Maybe-I could learn Iborian."

Oh god...has she turned into those women now? Yet it didn't once beset her in the manner she would have felt back in the days.

Yisrael pulled her onto him, making her squeal as she lay on his thick body. "And why would you? I like talking in English."

She reached out to trace his hard jaw, the stubble scratching the pads of her fingers. "Yes,

I know."

She isn't going to spell it out for him. He knew it. He simply wanted to embarrass her further.

When she didn't offer, he barked a lustrous laugh.

She thumped her forehead on his chest, hiding her eyes from his,"Urgh...you are making me fluster!"

He was about to retort when he heard a similar hiss. He turned seeing snake slithered past the gushing shower, his black and brown scale dusting away.

"What's the matter?"

River looked up when she felt his body go still. Following his gaze, she tried not to scramble when she sees his pet reptile straightening up to his height.

"Don't worry. He isn't going to harm you." His hands pressed tightly against her hip.

He observed, cocking his head at his pet. "You don't come out usually."

The snake hissed and his tail pointed outside, rapidly moving. They got up from their position, a pit forming in his abdomen.

Snake hissed again and he wriggled back through the water. "Something must be not right. He never comes out in the dark."

Swiftly they dressed up and moved out of the cavern, when they heard hustles and a glow of burning orange light coming from the pathway.

Taking hold of her hand, Yisrael trailed down the lane and he saw glows of fire burning the tents but no Iborians were in sight.

Suddenly he was yanked into the shadowy tree behind and he came to face to face with fearful Yosemite and a trembling Yamien by his side.

"Brother? What's happened?"

He scowled and looked down at River, "Your friend has brought other friends it seems."

Her eyes widened. "What? How is that possible?"

Yosemite clutched the tank of her shirt and pulled. "You are going to pay-" Before he could complete, he was shoved off by Yisrael, who gave threatening glare at his brother.

"Don't touch her."

His countenance brought shock and hostility. He shook his head. "Brother, you don't know what she has done. Her friend Chris has summoned people who bore guns and machine artillery. And from the looks of it, they won't be leaving for a while. They are here for the stone."

"What? Never! I would never do something like that."

"Shut it. You can't explain yourself. All this time when my brother asked you to spy, you cleverly used the tactic to distract him and helped Chris getting his team attack upon us without any detection."

"That's not true. I- Yisrael, you believe me? I wouldn't do something like that."

She gazed up at him but when he didn't give anything away her heart began to crack. No no..no!

"Yisrael you have to belie-"

"I will deal with you later." He said harshly, the tone biting into her skin. The skin he kissed and touched. Now it felt like he was discarding her.

"Where is father?"

A grave expression surrounded Yosemite. "He is in the main tent. In the dragon of fire chamber, being held hostage. They won't leave him till they find the location of the stone."

"I'm going to him." He began to leave when River yanked on his arm.

"Let me come with you. Maybe I can try to talk Chris ou-"

His voice deadpanned with a touch of hurt that sizzled her in tears. "I have nothing to say to you. All you humans are the same. Going after the one thing that doesn't belong to you."

He wrenched her hold away as he moved and climbed up the trees with ease and lunged his way to the tent where his father was kept.

Her lips trembled fixing her hazy gaze upon his retreating back and she shot a glare at Yosemite, who looked at her unflinchingly.

"How dare you accuse me of such things? I have nothing to do with this."

Yamien who had been quiet all this time, stepped up slowly and tried to make Yosemite heel. "I think she is saying the truth. She doesn't know what Chris had been up to."

Yosemite growled at her. "How can you say that? She could be just in this deceit as much Chris came to us as an archeologist."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, don't tell me you don't know." He saw her face blank, blinking with confusion. Waiting for him to fill the words.

He let out a curse. "You really didn't know, did you? Chris is an archeologist but he is also a mercenary. He wanted to discover our tribe and the harness the heart of the jaguar to become rich. He brought along a team who had followed your trail under the guide named Tiger."

The color drained from her eyes. "B-but that man is my teacher." He had been her mentor, so diligently focusing on teaching her the way across the mysterious Amazon.

Yosemite snorted. "Well that man wants big on the money and loot and he came with the his own army of men, storming down the forest. They have killed some of our people before we ushered them back into our safety hideout."

Suddenly everything began to clear. No wonder Chris had come to her with this expedition.

Knowing Tiger, he would have told Chris to first provide proof of the existence of the Iborian tribe before he got his hands dirty. Being a guide for the last forty years, he would have known of the red flame stone stories but he wouldn't waste any breath unless he got evidence.

Evidence which Chris must have sent.

Once that happened, Tiger must have promised him a whole entourage of men who he must have convinced since there is a hefty sum of money behind it. Finding the red stone would not only make them rich but worldly famous.

That meant they weren't going to rest until they had their hands on that stone.

She had to do something. Yisrael had vanished and no doubt, inside the tent filled with men who are greedy, murderous and won't hesitate to kill.

Yosemite sensing her thoughts, held onto her arm. "We must leave now."

"We can't leave Yisrael. We have to go and save them."

"He is gone to save father but-"

"What but? No buts. I'm going to get him myself with or without you."

He grated out. "You can't! You will get yourself killed. These men are far worse than the last time we were invaded. We must head back to the holy fire where the stone is kept. It will keep us safe."

"But what if they get to the stone? They won't stop searching for it."

She knew Tiger. Once he sets his mind on something, he will go through the core of the earth if he had to, just to get his calculating hands on it.

She looked back at Yosemite whose face suddenly remained stark white, as if the life would slip out.

"Then we destroy it."