Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 1110

Chapter 1110: Chapter 1110

A rustle drew their attention to the left, and Jude held his breath as three figures emerged from the trees. For a moment, his heart lifted, until he saw their faces.

Natalie. Lucy. Grace.

Their movements were slow, sensual. Their smiles were too calm. Their eyes shone faintly, as if lit from within. All three of them walked toward the fire like they’d never left, their bare feet silent on the ground.

Lucy was the first to speak. "It’s a beautiful morning."

Emma’s grip on the axe tightened. "You shouldn’t be here."

"But we missed you," Natalie said, her voice a smooth melody that made Jude’s skin prickle. "Didn’t you miss us?"

Sophie stepped in front of him instinctively. "What do you want?"

"We want you to stop running," Grace said. "You don’t need to fight. You never did."

"You’re not yourselves," Jude said.

Lucy tilted her head. "Or maybe we’re more ourselves now than we’ve ever been."

"We brought you something," Natalie said sweetly.

They all stepped aside.

Behind them, Susan walked forward.

She looked tired. Wet leaves clung to her clothes. Her hair was tangled. But her eyes, her eyes were still human.

She stumbled into the clearing and fell to her knees.

"Susan!" Sophie cried, rushing forward before Jude could stop her.

Susan looked up, her face twisted in fear. "Don’t trust them," she whispered. "Don’t, "

She screamed and collapsed, and from her mouth, a thin tendril of shadow slipped out, writhing like smoke in reverse. Jude yanked Sophie back as Emma ran forward and slammed the axe into the ground between Susan and the others.

The shadow hissed and retreated, vanishing into the earth.

Grace’s smile faltered.

Jude stepped forward. "You failed."

Natalie’s voice lost its warmth. "We’ll be back."

Lucy leaned closer, her lips curling. "You’ll beg for us when it’s over."

Then all three turned, walked slowly back into the trees, and disappeared.

Jude knelt beside Susan. She was shaking, her skin ice cold, but her eyes were clear again.

"You saved me," she said.

"No," Jude said. "You came back on your own."

Emma grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "What did they do to you?"

Susan’s lips trembled. "They let you feel everything you’ve ever wanted. And once you say yes, it’s too late."

"Did Rose do it?" Jude asked.

"She started it," Susan whispered. "But something else... it’s using her now. It uses all of them. It’s still hungry."

That night, they kept watch in shifts, staying close to Susan, who slept curled against Sophie. Jude took the final watch alone, seated near the fire with his back to the trees. He didn’t notice the figure until it was right beside him.

Stella.

She stepped out of the darkness without a sound, her arms at her sides, her face pale and blank.

He stood up fast. "Stella?"

Her eyes blinked slowly.

"I came to you," she whispered.

"Are you okay? Where are the others?"

"They don’t know I’m gone." Her voice cracked. "I saw what happened to Susan. I don’t want it to happen to me."

He moved forward, gently taking her hands. "Come inside."

But before they could step away, something shimmered in the trees behind her, like heat rising from a fire, twisting the air. Jude looked up.

A pair of eyes glowed from the darkness.

And then another.

And another.

Dozens.

They were watching.

Stella clutched his hands tighter. "They know."

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. "We’ll protect you."

"No," she said, her voice low and haunted. "I don’t think we can stop it. I think we’re too late."

The next morning, Stella remained quiet but alert, staying close to Susan and Emma, both of whom watched her carefully. Sophie took Jude aside as they fetched water from the river, her brows knit in worry.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"We prepare," he said. "We plan. We stay together."

"And if they try to take someone else?"

He looked at her, his jaw clenched. "We take them back."

They spent the day gathering supplies and drawing watcherscript barriers around their homes. Susan helped, her memory of the creature’s presence giving her insight into which sigils disrupted its touch. Stella spoke little but obeyed quickly, staying within the circle whenever possible.

That evening, just as the sun dipped behind the hills, a figure appeared at the edge of the clearing again.

It was Rose.

Alone.

She didn’t speak. She didn’t move closer.

She just stood there, watching them.

Then she raised her hand and pointed.

Behind her, Layla stepped out.

Then Zoey.

Then Natalie.

Then Lucy.

Then Grace.

All six stood in silence, a wall of beauty and terror, their smiles hollow, their bodies too still.

Susan stepped behind Jude.

Stella clutched Emma’s hand.

Sophie whispered, "They’re trying to break us."

Jude didn’t speak. He just stared at Rose.

And she smiled.

It wasn’t seductive this time.

It was hungry.

The silence after Rose’s smile was heavier than the night around them. None of the six women at the edge of the clearing moved, not even to blink. Their presence was unsettlingly perfect, still, statuesque, and wrong in a way that made Jude’s skin crawl. Yet he couldn’t look away from Rose. Her smile was soft but endless, like it could swallow everything if he stared too long.

Sophie moved first, placing herself between Jude and the line of women like a shield. Emma followed, pulling Stella and Susan back gently, her hand brushing against the blade she always wore now. No one said anything. They just waited. The wind moved through the trees, cold and dry, whispering between branches like the echo of words that hadn’t yet been spoken.

Then, as suddenly as they’d come, the six turned at once and disappeared into the forest without a sound. No footsteps. No leaves rustling. Just gone.

Jude exhaled slowly, aware that his fists were clenched so tight his nails had dug into his palms. "They wanted us to see them together," he said.