Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 1688

Chapter 1688: Chapter 1688

Scarlet and Susan kissed with abandon under a tree, limbs entwined, moving together as if in a slow, ancient dance.

And overhead, the stars sang.

Not literally - but it felt that way.

Every gasp and sigh, every whispered name, every cry of ecstasy fed the flower’s light, until it rose in a golden flare, illuminating the entire clearing. As Jude reached his peak with Lucy, their bodies arching together in perfect surrender, the light exploded in a burst that shook the very ground.

Then silence.

Only breath.

Only love.

Only warmth.

Jude lay in the center again, just as he had beneath the blooming tree. This time, the moss beneath him felt like velvet. The stars above pulsed with the same rhythm as his heart. The others curled around him, glowing, breathless, sated. It wasn’t just sex. It was the island’s breath made flesh. It was ritual. It was worship.

The flower in the center of their circle had changed.

Its petals were broader, deeper in hue, glowing from within as though filled with the fire of everything they’d just shared.

Natalie brushed her fingers across one petal. "We gave it something."

"No," Rose said softly, drawing her knees up to her chest. "We are it now."

Lucy traced Jude’s collarbone with a lazy smile. "It’s part of us. It bloomed through us."

He looked down at his chest. A small mark had appeared - just over his heart. A single glowing petal. The same symbol appeared on the others, subtle but unmistakable.

Sophie touched hers. "Is this... forever?"

"No," said Rose, resting against Jude’s side. "It’s longer than that."

A breeze stirred the trees. The scent of the flower deepened.

Jude exhaled slowly. "What now?"

They looked at each other - naked, glowing, complete.

And Lucy said, "Now we live."

They rose slowly, helping each other to their feet. The clearing didn’t feel like a place anymore. It felt like a beginning. The flower would remain, pulsing gently, its scent lingering. It didn’t demand. It simply was.

They walked back to the river together, holding hands, laughter bubbling between them.

And behind them, in the moss and flowerlight, the land of Alaria whispered its blessing - silent, eternal, and alive.

A ripple of warmth passed over the group as they returned to the river’s edge, the ground soft and warm beneath their bare feet, as though the island itself welcomed them back. The river shimmered differently now - deeper in hue, flecked with iridescent gold that moved with the current. When Jude stepped into the shallows, the water didn’t chill him. It embraced him, curling around his ankles like a living thing.

Emma knelt at the edge, trailing her fingers through the current. "It’s changed."

Stella waded in beside her, the water glowing faintly around her calves. "It’s responding to us again."

Sophie remained just beyond the bank, arms crossed loosely, watching with cautious eyes. "It responded to what we did... to the joining."

Jude looked back at her. "You were there. You felt it too."

She nodded slowly. "I did. But I still feel... separate."

Lucy slipped into the river beside him, brushing his arm with hers. "Then come closer. We’re not leaving anyone behind."

Sophie hesitated, then exhaled sharply and stepped forward, her bare feet meeting the glowing current. The moment the water touched her, her posture shifted - her shoulders relaxed, her face softened. She looked at Lucy, then at Jude, and smiled faintly. "Okay. I feel it."

Behind them, Zoey gave a little cheer and waded in, splashing a bit, water droplets scattering gold in the air. "So, what now? Do we swim until we find the next dream?"

Natalie stretched languidly on the riverbank, her body half-submerged, hair drifting like seaweed. "We could rest. The river’s warmer than the moss."

Grace reclined beside her, her fingers absentmindedly trailing up Natalie’s thigh. "Or we could build. A sanctuary. Something that’s ours."

Rose moved past them quietly, stepping into the deepest part of the river, where the current slowed. "We wait."

Jude tilted his head. "For what?"

Rose turned to face him, her wet hair trailing behind her like silk. "It’s still happening. Inside us. Around us. The bloom wasn’t an ending - it was a conception. Something new is growing."

The word conception rippled through the circle, unspoken meanings sparking behind widened eyes and quickened breath. Jude felt Lucy tense slightly beside him, then relax into his touch. She looked up at him, a question forming silently in her gaze.

"I don’t know," he said softly. "But it feels true."

Susan had remained on the riverbank, crouched near the reeds, watching everything with her usual quietness. "Do you think... we’re supposed to carry something?"

Stella turned. "You mean like a gift? Or - ?"

"Or life," Susan whispered.

The air thickened subtly, not with fear - but awe. They all looked at each other. At the faint golden markings still glowing on their skin. At the flower that had bloomed in their love. At the way the river now shimmered around them like light captured in water.

Rose moved toward Jude and placed a hand gently on his chest, over the petal-shaped mark.

"The island gave us something," she said. "And we gave something back."

He swallowed, throat dry. "You think it’s... alive now? Inside us?"

Rose nodded. "Not just an idea. Not just a force. Something real. Something that will grow."

Emma stepped closer. "Then what happens when it’s ready?"

Zoey tilted her head. "When we’re ready?"

They looked at each other, and a kind of quiet settled. Not silence - just understanding. They wouldn’t run. They wouldn’t fight. They would carry it. Whatever it was.

Lucy moved behind Jude and wrapped her arms around his waist, her cheek resting between his shoulder blades. "We should stay here for now. Near the river. Near the flower."

Sophie nodded. "We should build."

Natalie added, "Together."

And so they did.

The rest of the day passed in a haze of gentle motion. They didn’t speak much. They didn’t need to.