Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 1097

Chapter 1097: Chapter 1097

"I’ve got to check the east traps with Susan," Jude replied. "Maybe later."

Rose pouted slightly but didn’t press. "You’ll change your mind."

Sophie stepped in before the conversation could deepen. "We’ll go with them. Someone should."

Emma’s jaw twitched. "Good idea. We’ll keep an eye."

The group split. Jude left with Susan and Natalie to check the traps. Behind them, Rose, Layla, and Zoey disappeared into the trees, with Emma and Sophie trailing at a careful distance.

The river was wide and glassy, sparkling in the sunlight. Rose stripped first, slipping from her dress like a silk curtain dropping to the earth. She walked into the water naked, the sun gilding her skin, and Layla followed, giggling, not even pretending to be modest. Zoey was slower, but her eyes never left Rose’s.

Emma and Sophie stayed at the edge, crouched in the brush.

"They’re doing it again," Emma muttered.

Sophie nodded slowly. "But Zoey’s resisting. Look at her, she’s holding back."

"I hope it stays that way."

They watched in silence as Rose and Layla moved through the water like twin serpents, winding around each other, touching, kissing, laughing. Rose pulled Layla close and whispered something in her ear. Whatever it was, Layla blushed, then pulled Rose in and kissed her with fervent heat.

Zoey didn’t interrupt.

She watched.

Emma clenched her fists. "This isn’t just seduction. It’s ritual. It’s how she spreads whatever this is."

Sophie felt a chill run up her arms. "We need to talk to Zoey. Alone."

The opportunity never came. By the time the girls returned to camp, Zoey was different.

She smiled now.

Not the old Zoey smile, bright and curious, occasionally sarcastic. No. This one was slow and knowing. Rose’s smile. The same tilt of the head. The same gleam in her eyes.

That night, Jude sat by the fire, staring across at the trio. They huddled together, whispering, giggling. Layla leaned into Zoey, who had her hand resting lightly on Rose’s thigh. It wasn’t just affection anymore. It was something ceremonial. They had become a unit, orbiting Rose like moons around a dark star.

Sophie knelt beside Jude. "Zoey’s gone."

He nodded slowly. "I saw."

Emma stood beside them, eyes hard. "I should’ve dragged her out of that river."

Natalie joined them, arms wrapped around herself. "What are we going to do?"

Jude looked up at the stars, and for the first time in days, he felt cold.

"We start fighting back," he said.

"We take them back."

Sophie’s eyes burned as she stared at the fire, the crackle of the flames barely masking the tension curling in her chest. Across the clearing, Rose, Layla, and Zoey lounged in a lazy tangle of limbs beneath the moonlight, their bodies half-hidden in shadows, their laughter low and slow. The way Zoey clung to Rose now sent a fresh wave of unease through Sophie. She’d been the last to fall, and her transformation had been almost instant after that river swim. That same slow, devilish smile stretched across her lips. The same subtle synchronization of movements. They all looked at each other like they shared one heartbeat, one breath.

Jude sat beside Sophie, silent. She didn’t need to look to know he was watching them too. The air felt thick tonight, dense with some invisible fog none of them could shake. Emma was nearby, sharpening a piece of wood into a crude spear. Natalie and Susan whispered behind the shelter, their voices tight with worry. Grace, Lucy, and Stella had gone to sleep early, or so they said.

"We have to do something," Sophie finally said, her voice just above a whisper.

Jude nodded, still watching. "I know."

"I don’t think we have much time. Whatever Rose is, whatever she’s becoming... she’s not done yet."

Emma looked up from her spear. "I say we confront her. Tonight."

"No," Natalie said, stepping forward. "You confront her, and you risk everyone seeing you as the enemy. She’s too... loved. Desired. It’s like she’s pulling strings inside their heads."

"She’s not just influencing them," Susan added. "She’s... replacing something in them. And they want it. They crave it."

Sophie shivered. "And we’re the ones who feel wrong now."

"We can’t be the only ones left who see it," Jude said. "What about Stella?"

"She’s quiet, but I’m not sure," Emma said. "She keeps to herself, but I caught her watching Rose yesterday. That look... it wasn’t suspicion."

Sophie rubbed her face. "Then who? Who do we still have?"

"Us," Natalie said. "Us. Right now. That’s all."

Silence stretched long between them.

Eventually, they broke apart. Jude walked the perimeter alone, torch in hand, heart pounding with a mixture of fear and resolve. He wasn’t even sure what he was hoping to find anymore, signs of watcher glyphs? Ancient runes that could break the spell? Just one damn clue.

Then he saw it.

A small bundle of herbs knotted in woven vines, tucked into the hollow of a tree. He wouldn’t have noticed if the wind hadn’t shifted and brought the sweet, strange scent to him. He stepped closer. The weaving was precise, elegant, like the braiding of hair, but layered in a way that pulsed with quiet intent.

Jude reached out, but before his fingers touched the bundle, a voice behind him said, "Don’t."

He turned.

Lucy stood behind him, her eyes shadowed, her lips tight.

"I saw you leave," she said. "I followed."

"What is this?" he asked, gesturing to the bundle.

She shook her head. "It’s a seed. Not the kind that grows a tree. The kind that grows... her."

"Rose made this?"

"Yes. Or something through her did."

Jude took a step closer. "You’ve been quiet since you came back. But you never joined them. You resisted."

"I didn’t resist," Lucy whispered. "I ran."

"Why?"

"Because the first time she looked at me like that... I saw something behind her eyes. And it knew me."

A chill prickled up Jude’s spine. "Knew you?"