Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 1072

Chapter 1072: Chapter 1072

Jude hated the plan, but he saw no better alternative.

That day, they stayed close to the others. Rose acted no differently, her beauty so effortless, her charm like sunlight on skin. She danced when they cooked, pressed herself against Jude as he carved the bark for firewood, whispered teasing things in his ear when no one was looking. She kissed Layla in full view of everyone, laughing as Layla pinned her against the tree and bit her lip. Zoey watched with open hunger in her eyes, joined them seconds later, and none of the others even blinked.

Emma giggled. Stella rolled her eyes with a smile. Natalie laughed and turned away.

Even Sophie forced a smile.

It was happening right in front of them, and no one could see it.

Later, as the sun rose higher, Susan sat near the edge of the stream with Grace, braiding her hair. The two of them whispered, their heads close. Jude watched as Susan ran her fingers over Grace’s bare shoulder, tracing patterns that made Grace close her eyes and tilt her head like she was soaking in sunshine. Jude wanted to yell at her, to shake her, to scream, but he didn’t. Not yet. They had to be sure.

"Tonight," Sophie whispered, her voice close to his ear. "We follow them again. All of them."

He nodded.

The day passed slow and strange. The air felt too warm, like it carried heat from somewhere deeper than the sun. The food tasted sweet but metallic. Every laugh, every kiss, every soft moan drifting from the houses made Jude’s skin prickle. It was like watching a play that used to be real, now just masks and lines repeated without meaning.

That night, just as the fire began to dim and the others drifted off to their rooms in pairs and trios, Jude and Sophie moved toward the forest. The air buzzed with something unsaid. He could feel it on his tongue, like words forming without breath.

They didn’t have to wait long.

Rose stepped into the woods first, her white dress nearly glowing in the moonlight. Layla followed her, hand brushing the small of her back. Then Zoey, Susan, and, Jude’s heart clenched, Grace. Her face was calm, eyes wide with trust. Like she was sleepwalking.

They moved together with perfect harmony, not speaking. Sophie and Jude followed at a distance, barely breathing.

The path wound deeper than before. Past the clearing. Past the waterfall. Past the roots that looked like claws and the trees that seemed to whisper when no one was near. The group moved downhill now, toward a place neither of them had seen.

Eventually they stopped. A shallow pool lay in front of them, glowing faintly with a bluish light. Jude couldn’t tell if it came from the water or from something beneath it. The surface rippled, though no wind moved.

The women knelt around the pool, dipping their hands into the water. The ripples danced across the surface like fingers touching skin. Rose began to chant. Not loud, almost inaudible, but the sound made Jude’s bones ache. It was wrong. A language older than air. Sophie gripped his wrist, her nails digging into his skin.

From the water, a shape emerged.

Not the tall one from before, this was smaller, rounder. Shimmering silver-black, with no clear eyes or mouth, but pulsing like it breathed. It rose from the center of the pool and hovered there, and as it did, the women leaned forward one by one and pressed their lips to it.

Jude nearly lunged forward, but Sophie held him back, eyes wild with silent warning.

After each woman kissed it, the shape pulsed, grew brighter, then slowly lowered back into the water, vanishing as if it had never been there.

The women stood, still silent. Still smiling.

They walked back into the woods, Grace at the center now, her eyes glassy, her lips slightly parted. Jude could still see the shimmer of water on her mouth.

They waited until the group was gone, and then Jude stepped into the clearing. Sophie followed.

He stood over the pool, but the light was gone. The water calm. As if it had been a dream.

"What the hell was that?" Sophie whispered.

Jude didn’t answer.

He knelt, touched the surface of the pool. It was cold. Not like regular water, this cold had depth, like it was bottomless, like touching it meant something else could touch back.

They didn’t speak again until they were nearly back home.

"I think it’s choosing them," Sophie said, her voice trembling. "That thing. The one in the water. It’s not just possession. It’s... acceptance. Or a pact."

Jude nodded grimly. "And they’re offering themselves willingly."

Sophie stopped walking. "What if it gets to everyone? What happens then?"

He didn’t want to say it.

But he did.

"Then we’ll be alone."

That night, Jude sat outside again, watching the stars. Sophie stayed with him for a while, but sleep pulled her away, exhaustion finally breaking through the weight of everything they’d seen.

Jude stared into the fire long after it had become embers.

He didn’t know how long he sat there before he felt someone approaching.

It was Grace.

She moved slowly, her feet barely making a sound on the path. Her dress was loose, her hair still wet as if she’d bathed. She smiled at him, soft and open.

"Can’t sleep?" she asked.

He shook his head.

She knelt beside him, close. "You looked worried. Thought you could use company."

Her fingers brushed his arm.

And suddenly, she leaned in and kissed him.

It wasn’t new, Grace had always been sweet, open, loving, but this kiss was different. There was a hunger behind it. A pull. Like she was trying to take something from him with her mouth.

He pulled back gently. "Grace..."

She smiled, and for a second, the moonlight hit her face just right.

Her eyes were glowing.

Only for a second. Then they were normal again.