Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 1079

Chapter 1079: Chapter 1079

But behind them, in the woods, something laughed. A sound like leaves crackling. Like fire growing.

The morning came quietly, with soft dew on the grass and a heavy silence over the camp that felt too deep to be peaceful. Jude was already awake, sitting at the edge of the hut, rubbing his thumb against the wooden handle of his blade without really thinking. Sophie stirred beside him, her eyes slow to open, but when they did, they immediately locked with his. There was no confusion in them, no sleepiness. Just the weight of what they’d seen. What they’d felt.

They didn’t speak. Instead, they sat together, watching the others from a distance as the day began to stretch and move like a restless animal. Rose emerged first, humming. Her hair shimmered in the early sun, her robe falling off one shoulder as if she had no idea, or maybe she did. Her eyes were half-lidded, lips curved upward in that soft, knowing smile. Layla followed behind, eyes already fixed on her like a magnet.

Zoey stepped out last, barefoot, bare-legged, stretching like a cat, the same smile, slow and wicked, playing on her lips. Jude watched them walk toward the fire pit and begin preparing the morning food like everything was normal. But it wasn’t.

Grace joined them, her fingers twirling in her hair as she leaned into Zoey, brushing her lips against her neck, giggling at something Jude couldn’t hear. The four of them radiated something beautiful and dangerous all at once. Something too perfect to trust.

"We need to talk," Jude whispered, finally breaking the silence between him and Sophie.

She nodded. "But not here."

They stood together and drifted toward the river, hands brushing, their bodies moving in perfect sync as if they were tethered. The forest was cool and alive, filled with the buzz of insects and the rustle of leaves, but every sound felt distant compared to the pounding thoughts in Jude’s mind.

When they reached the river’s edge, they didn’t sit. They stood in the shallows, letting the water wash over their feet like it could cleanse something inside them.

"It started with Rose," Sophie said.

"Yes," Jude replied. "After she fell."

"And Layla was next. Then Zoey."

"Grace is slipping."

"Maybe already gone."

Sophie turned toward him, her eyes hard now. "We have to do something."

He looked at her, unsure. "But what?"

She stepped closer, her hands rising to cup his face. "Whatever this is, it’s not just making them seductive. It’s like it’s hollowing them out. Turning them into...something else."

He leaned into her touch, craving her warmth. "What if we’re next?"

"Then we have to hold onto each other even harder."

Their kiss was soft at first, but quickly deepened, urgent and aching. They clung to each other like survivors in a storm, their breaths mingling, the river whispering at their feet. Sophie pulled him down onto the grass, her hands already working at the hem of his shirt. Jude didn’t hesitate. The world could fall apart, but not before they had this. Not before they remembered who they were together.

They made love slowly, reverently, with the sunlight glinting off the water and the trees swaying above them. And when it was over, they lay together in silence, hearts steady, breaths aligned.

But even in that sacred peace, Jude felt the shift, the air thickening, cooling.

Sophie sat up first. "Do you hear that?"

He did. A rustle. A breath. A presence.

Jude stood, grabbing his blade. Sophie followed, her body still bare, but her eyes sharp and alert.

From the other side of the river, the trees parted.

And the monster stepped through.

It was taller now. Its form more defined. Its body shimmered like it was half smoke, half flesh. Its face wasn’t a face at all, just a suggestion of one. No mouth. No nose. Just eyes, brilliant, glowing eyes.

Jude didn’t move. Sophie gripped his arm tightly.

The creature watched them.

Then, it slowly raised one elongated hand, and pointed.

Not at Jude.

At Sophie.

Jude stepped in front of her instinctively.

The creature didn’t flinch. It didn’t react at all. It simply stared for a moment longer, then dissolved into mist.

Gone.

Sophie exhaled like she’d been holding her breath the entire time. "It’s watching us."

"It knows we know."

They didn’t return to camp immediately. They cleaned themselves in the river and sat until their skin dried in the breeze. When they finally walked back, hand in hand, everything looked the same.

But felt even worse.

Rose greeted them with a kiss, on the cheek for Jude, soft and lingering on the lips for Sophie.

"We were starting to miss you," she purred, her fingers trailing lightly across Jude’s chest as she passed.

Sophie caught Zoey watching them with interest. Not jealousy, curiosity. Like she was studying something. Testing it.

Jude caught Layla watching Sophie the same way.

And then Grace stood, walked past them all, and kissed Susan without warning. A slow, hot kiss that made Susan gasp. But she didn’t push her away. She leaned into it.

Jude exchanged a glance with Sophie. That hollow feeling opened wider inside his chest.

As the day went on, the others acted as if nothing had changed. They laughed, they touched, they played. Layla licked juice from Rose’s fingers while Zoey braided Grace’s hair, humming something haunting. The sky darkened, and the fire was lit, and the evening came with wine and dances and kisses that lingered too long.

Jude and Sophie watched it all unfold, unmoving.

Then, after the fire died down and most had gone inside, Jude stood alone, staring into the embers. He thought of the monster’s eyes. Of its silence. Its intent.

Sophie approached quietly, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "We need to plan something."

"I know," he whispered.

"We can’t let this spread."

"I know."

She held him tighter. And for a moment, Jude thought maybe they could figure it out.