Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 1403

Chapter 1403: Chapter 1403

They collapsed together, tangled, breathless.

The others followed - some coming in pairs, some in clusters, some alone but not lonely. And when it was done, when the forest quieted again, they lay on the furs, skin against skin, hearts thundering in sync.

Jude stared up at the canopy, arms wrapped around Lucy and Rose, feeling Sophie’s breath against his ribs, Grace’s fingers laced with his own.

Twelve wives.

Twelve hearts.

And something ancient awakening inside them all.

The air had weight to it, thick with sex and dew and the remnants of sacred breath. The canopy above them filtered golden light down in gentle waves, and for a moment, it felt like the sky itself was a blanket - heavy, comforting, watching.

Jude lay still, letting the pulse of the island quiet inside him. His arms were wrapped around Lucy and Rose, their bodies soft and damp against him. Sophie’s breath was slow against his ribs, her cheek resting on his chest. Everywhere, their bodies lay entangled in the clearing: limbs over limbs, breasts pressed to backs, lips barely parted from kisses just given.

It wasn’t exhaustion that stilled them.

It was awe.

Emma stirred first. She rose to her elbows, her curls falling wild around her flushed face. Her gaze swept across the others - lingering on Layla, who was curled up against Scarlet, their bodies slick with sweat and nectar. Then her eyes found Jude, and something unreadable flickered in them.

She crawled forward, not shy or uncertain, but deliberate. Her skin shone with morning mist and love’s sheen. When she reached him, she straddled his thigh and leaned in, brushing her lips softly over his.

"You still taste like her," she whispered.

He smiled against her mouth. "I still feel her."

"Do you feel all of us?"

His hand cupped her waist, fingers curling around her hipbone. "Every second."

Emma kissed him deeper, slower, her tongue sliding against his. When she pulled back, she traced his jaw with her thumb.

"We’re becoming," she said softly. "Not just joining. We’re changing."

He nodded, his throat dry. "I know."

Behind them, Lucy sat up, stretching, her breasts high and heavy with sleep. She yawned, then turned to press a kiss to Emma’s shoulder before nuzzling into Jude’s side. "The forest’s quieter now."

Sophie rolled onto her back beside them, her fingers absently running down her own stomach, tracing the glow still there under her skin. "Because it’s listening."

Rose opened her eyes at last, her golden irises soft, steady. "It always was. Now it hears its name when we speak."

Grace crawled closer, curling against Rose like a cat finding her warmth. "What’s its name?"

Rose looked at Jude. "That’s the part we still have to find."

There was no panic anymore, no urgency. Only the softness of questions that could wait. They gathered close again - bodies pressed together in silence. The grass cradled them, the trees rustled with a breeze that kissed each sweat-dampened back. Birds watched, but didn’t call. Even the insects moved slower now, as though reverence had become law.

Scarlet broke the silence first. "I had a dream last night."

They all turned toward her.

"I was swimming," she said slowly, "but the water was fire. And I wasn’t burning - I was glowing. When I dove deeper, there were eyes in the flames. Gold, like Rose’s. They weren’t watching to threaten. They were... calling."

Emma leaned in. "Did you follow?"

Scarlet nodded. "And I woke up with the taste of something on my lips. Like nectar. Like her." She reached for Layla, who took her hand wordlessly.

"I dreamed too," Grace whispered. "But I was the tree. The black one in the cave. I could feel my roots growing through the stone. Touching bones. Waking things up."

Natalie wrapped an arm around her. "I felt that in my sleep. Something beneath us. Something ancient."

"Is it dangerous?" Sophie asked.

"No," Rose said. "Not if we’re willing."

Jude sat up slowly. The others followed his lead. One by one, they rose, naked and unashamed, circling in the middle of the clearing as the morning light pierced the mist. Their skin glowed with sweat and the shimmer of something deeper. The air felt charged again - an invitation hanging between each breath.

"We’re meant to go back," Jude said.

"To the tree?" Zoey asked.

He nodded. "It started there. It keeps pulling us."

Emma tilted her head. "Then let’s answer it."

No one dressed. They didn’t need to.

Together, they moved through the woods, feet bare, skin open to the morning. The island greeted them with dewdrops on every leaf, warm wind through the branches, moss soft underfoot. They didn’t speak, but the silence was not empty. It was thick with meaning.

When they reached the cave, the humming returned - low at first, like distant thunder, then growing clearer as they stepped into the moss-glowing chamber. The black tree stood in the center, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.

And this time, it wasn’t alone.

Roots had begun to spread - thin black tendrils that snaked across the stone floor, reaching toward them like fingers of smoke. The tree had grown taller, thicker, and in its bark were strange markings - lines shaped like song, like breath.

Rose stepped forward first, placing both hands on the trunk.

A sigh escaped her lips, deep and full of wonder.

Then Stella joined, then Sophie, then Grace. Each woman reached out, letting her fingers find a place on the bark. The air grew warmer. The hum rose higher.

Jude approached slowly, eyes on the black wood, the way it seemed to breathe beneath their touch.

He reached out - and the instant his skin made contact, heat shot through him.

Not pain.

Pleasure.

A deep, radiant pleasure that flooded his body like light. He gasped, stumbling back, but Rose caught him, guiding him down onto the moss with a gentleness that brought tears to his eyes.

"Let it happen," she whispered, and the others began to touch him.