Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 1493

Chapter 1493: Chapter 1493

She sank to her knees, pulling him with her, the soft moss beneath cushioning their fall. Her hands were quick, practiced, tracing every line of him with intention. She guided him down, straddling him with wet thighs, her eyes never leaving his.

Their mouths met again, hotter this time, and her breath came in sharp gasps as she sank down onto him. Jude gripped her hips, unable to stop the groan that escaped his throat. Natalie rode him slowly at first, her rhythm fluid, sensual, water beading on her breasts and sliding down her ribs.

She leaned forward, pressing her chest against his, her lips brushing his jaw. "Tell me I’m not lost."

"You’re not," he whispered. "You’re right here. With me."

Her pace quickened, hips moving faster, her breath catching with every thrust. She was fire and water all at once - fierce and graceful, wild and grounded. Jude met her motion for motion, their bodies crashing like waves in the tide.

When she came, she cried out his name, clutching him tight, trembling around him.

He followed moments later, spilling into her with a groan, holding her close as the world spun around them.

They collapsed into the moss together, panting.

For a long while, neither moved. The forest breathed for them.

Then Natalie lifted her head, her fingers tracing his jaw.

"It’s not just sex anymore," she said quietly. "It’s not even just love."

He looked up at her, brow furrowed.

"It’s communion," she whispered. "Like... the island wants this. Craves it. We’re feeding something bigger than us."

He exhaled slowly. "You sound like Rose."

"She’s not wrong," Natalie said. "Just ahead of us."

They walked back together, silent and hand in hand, their fingers interlaced. When they returned to the chamber, the others were awake. They looked up as Jude and Natalie entered, but no one asked where they’d gone. They already knew.

Lucy stood first, walking over to him, her eyes flicking between his and Natalie’s. She kissed his cheek, then looked at Natalie.

"Good?" she asked.

Natalie smiled. "Very."

The rest of the day passed like a dream. They cleaned themselves in the river, foraged together, prepared food in silence, often touching - shoulders brushing, hands finding hands, lips grazing cheeks. No one spoke of what had happened. It didn’t need words.

When night fell, Rose gathered them around the fire.

"There’s one more place," she said.

They looked at her.

"Beyond the cliffs. There’s a cave system. I saw it in my sleep. It pulses with light. I think it’s calling to us."

Jude exchanged a glance with Sophie.

"Another ritual?" she asked.

Rose shook her head. "No. A choice. One more melody. One more note."

The fire crackled between them. No one said no.

They would go.

Together.

As one.

The next morning broke with golden light spilling through the trees, casting soft shadows over their bodies as they stirred from a tangled sleep. Jude woke slowly, Lucy’s head tucked beneath his chin, her breath warm against his chest. Sophie had curled around his back during the night, one leg slung possessively over his hips. Across from him, Emma was already awake, sitting cross-legged with the firelight flickering in her wide eyes. She didn’t look away when their eyes met.

"They’re waiting," she said softly, nodding toward the trees.

Jude followed her gaze. Beyond the glade, the forest was still, but there was a presence. Not malevolent, not even demanding - just patient. Watching. Inviting.

He carefully eased out from between Lucy and Sophie, kissed them both gently, and rose. Rose was already dressed, if it could be called that - her body wrapped in woven fabric so thin it shifted with every movement of air. She didn’t speak. Just smiled as she turned toward the cliff path and began to walk.

One by one, they followed.

Natalie laced her fingers through Jude’s. Zoey brushed against his side, her shoulder pressing into him with a teasing rhythm as they walked. Stella moved barefoot and silent, her hand in Grace’s, their pace almost ritualistic. Emma walked behind them, her expression sharp and thoughtful, the only one who hadn’t fully softened.

They climbed the ridge in silence, the path winding up and narrowing with every step. The cliffs loomed ahead, and beyond them, the sea crashed against stone in rhythmic thunder. The island seemed to pulse beneath their feet - alive, eager, anticipating.

At the summit, Rose turned.

Below them, hidden in a hollow beneath the jagged stone, was the mouth of the cave. It was vast, rimmed in vines and flowers that glowed with soft bioluminescence. The air that drifted from it was cool and damp, and beneath the sound of the waves was a faint vibration - like the pluck of a single, perfect string.

"This is the final place," Rose said. "Where the island sings in full."

"Then what?" Jude asked.

Rose stepped toward him, her voice low. "Then we decide. Who stays one. Who becomes more."

He frowned. "More?"

But she didn’t answer. She turned and walked into the cave.

They followed.

Inside, the tunnel was wide enough for them to walk three abreast, the walls slick and glowing faintly. Moss carpeted the ground, and the air tasted of salt and something sweeter - like honey and smoke.

The tunnel opened into a chamber unlike anything they’d seen before.

It wasn’t natural.

Smooth stone columns rose into an impossibly high dome. Vines coiled along the pillars, blooming with pink and violet flowers that pulsed with light. In the center of the space, surrounded by low pools of water, was a single platform - circular and soft with moss and feathered leaves.

And above it, suspended in air, was a shard of crystal. Unlike the others they’d seen, this one glowed in shifting colors - gold, blue, violet, pink - each beat matching the pulse of their hearts.

Rose turned to them, her voice soft. "The final note."

Zoey stepped forward, her voice unusually quiet. "What does it want from us?"