Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 1085

Chapter 1085: Chapter 1085

They had seen the signs. The pattern. Rose had changed since the fall, since that cursed river swallowed her and returned something different. Then Layla changed. Then Zoey. And now Grace was growing quieter, colder, her usual warmth retreating into something unreadable.

Jude made his way to the river with Stella and Emma, hoping a bit of distance might clear his head. They spent the morning casting nets into the slow-moving stream, talking softly about old memories, laughing when the fish splashed too hard and soaked their legs. Emma was all grins and sharp wit, teasing Jude about his "harem" of wild wives, and Stella occasionally brushed her hand along his back as she passed, lingering just enough to make his skin tingle.

It was comforting. Human. Real.

When the bucket filled with slippery silver catches, they began to head back, sun warming their skin and sweat trailing down their spines. But halfway through the path, Jude slowed. His eyes caught something, just for a second. A shadow out of place. Something tall, thin, unmoving, just beyond the trees.

He stopped walking. So did Stella.

"Did you, ?"

"No," she said quickly. Too quickly.

Emma looked between them. "What is it?"

Jude blinked and the shadow was gone. He shook his head, forced a smile. "Nothing. Let’s go."

But it wasn’t nothing.

Back at the camp, Rose was brushing Zoey’s hair, threading tiny white flowers into it, while Layla fed her bits of dried mango from her fingers. Grace sat by the fire, her eyes flicking between them, lips pressed in a line. Sophie was sharpening a knife beside Susan, her movements precise, mechanical. She looked up at Jude as he returned and gave him a slow nod.

Later that afternoon, when the sun had reached its highest point, Jude found himself alone with Grace by the water’s edge. She was sitting on a rock, her feet in the stream, hands resting on her knees. Her hair blew in the breeze, strands catching the sunlight.

He sat beside her without a word.

"You’ve noticed it, haven’t you?" she asked quietly.

Jude turned toward her. "I have."

She didn’t look at him. "I don’t know what’s happening to them. But it’s spreading. And it’s fast."

Jude clenched his jaw. "We think it started when Rose fell."

Grace finally turned her head. Her eyes were too tired for someone who hadn’t fought anything. "It’s not just them. I see things. Out there. Between the trees."

"I’ve seen it too."

They sat in silence for a moment, the sound of water trickling between their toes. Then Grace whispered, "It’s like they’re being... rewired. Like something’s inside them. Touching their thoughts."

"They haven’t hurt anyone. Yet."

"Yet." Grace stood slowly. "But I think they will."

That night, the camp was lively. Dinner was a mix of grilled fish and fire-roasted roots. Rose was in a particularly playful mood, pulling Layla into her lap, whispering into Zoey’s ear until the girl was blushing and laughing uncontrollably. The three of them danced near the fire, hips swaying, teasing kisses exchanged between them like it was the most natural thing in the world.

No one else said anything. But their eyes lingered longer than usual.

Sophie sat close to Jude, leaning her head against his shoulder. Her fingers laced with his beneath the blanket. "It’s spreading," she whispered. "Grace feels it too."

"We need to act before we’re the only ones left."

"We already might be."

He looked across the fire. Susan and Stella were watching Rose dance, smiles on their faces, but something distant in their eyes. Emma laughed as Zoey spun her into a quick twirl, and even Natalie, usually reserved, let herself be pulled into the rhythm.

"They’re all falling," Jude said under his breath.

Sophie pressed closer. "Then we need to go back to the gate. The bones. The shard."

Jude nodded. "Tomorrow. Just us and Grace."

Late into the night, after most had drifted off to their hammocks, Jude remained awake, staring into the dying fire. Rose approached him, her steps slow and swaying, and sat on his lap without asking. Her hands touched his chest, her lips pressing into his jaw.

"You’re always so serious lately," she whispered, grinding her hips just slightly against him.

"I’ve got a lot on my mind."

She licked her lips. "I could take your mind off it."

He gently took her hands and pushed her back, standing. "Not tonight."

Rose tilted her head, smile unwavering. "Are you sure?"

"Go to bed, Rose."

She stood, running a finger along his shoulder as she passed, whispering, "You won’t be able to resist us forever."

When she was gone, Jude exhaled hard. His skin felt cold where she touched him.

He walked through the dark trees until he found Grace standing at the edge of the clearing, looking into the forest.

"I felt it again," she said without turning.

"Me too."

They stood side by side, staring into the dark where something moved. Not near. But not far.

The next morning, Grace, Sophie, and Jude set out early. They didn’t tell anyone where they were going. The others were still waking, their bodies wrapped around each other like ivy, tangled and too close. Zoey kissed Layla’s shoulder, and Rose watched Jude go with her lazy, knowing smile.

They moved quickly through the woods, retracing their path to the gate of bone and root. The shard Jude carried pulsed again in his pocket, the closer they got. The forest twisted around them, the trees tighter, the ground too soft. Light bent strangely between the branches.

When they reached the clearing, the gate was still there. Still tall, still humming with that low, vibrating sound.

Grace stared at it. "It’s like it’s alive."

Jude stepped forward. "We need to understand what it is. Before it’s too late."

He touched the shard to one of the bones. The light flared instantly.

And then, behind them, something growled.

Not far. But close enough to make their spine shiver.