Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women

Chapter 1675: Chapter 1675

Lucy shifted in his arms, her eyes fluttering open, lashes heavy with sleep. She smiled against his chest, her fingers tracing slow circles along his ribs. ”I dreamt of waves,” she murmured, voice still dusted with sleep. ”And sails. So many sails.”

He nodded slowly, brushing his lips across her temple. ”They’re coming.”

A breeze rolled through the trees then, fragrant with salt and wildflowers, and every leaf turned in the same direction - the sea. One by one, the others stirred. Rose sat up, her golden hair cascading across her back, eyes focused and alert. Zoey stretched like a feline, her body arching as she opened her eyes and blinked at the dawn.

”They’re closer,” Rose said softly.

Emma rose onto one elbow, scanning the horizon through the trees. ”Should we be afraid?”

”No,” Jude said, his voice calm. ”But we should be ready.”

Sophie moved beside him, her bare skin glowing in the fire’s soft light. ”Ready for what?”

He sat up fully, pulling Lucy with him, then looked around the circle. ”For what it means to lead. To welcome. To decide who we are now that it’s not just us anymore.”

Stella tilted her head, her fingers weaving through Grace’s. ”Do you think they’ll be like us?”

”They’ll be what the island makes them,” Rose replied. ”What they’re willing to become.”

”But they won’t have what we have,” Susan said quietly.

”No,” Zoey agreed. ”They’ll need guidance.”

Jude stood, the moss yielding beneath his feet, warm and pulsing. ”Then we guide them. Not as rulers. Not as gods. As the ones who went first.”

Natalie’s voice was steady. ”Then we show them the truth.”

They dressed in woven fronds and strands of golden moss, garments more ceremonial than practical, their bodies still humming with the island’s rhythm. Lucy’s wrap barely contained the curve of her hips, and the light that glowed softly beneath her skin made her look more spirit than woman. Zoey slipped a vine around her waist, tying it with a wink and a kiss on Jude’s cheek. ”Let them see what the island made us.”

By the time they reached the cliffs overlooking the beach, the sails were visible - faint but undeniable. Three boats, long and narrow, their masts swaying with the ocean wind, approaching with purpose. The sea shimmered like liquid glass, golden light reflecting the heavens above. The boats cut through it with elegance, silent but determined.

”They’ll be here before midday,” Stella said, shading her eyes.

Emma stood still as stone. ”This doesn’t feel like chance.”

”It’s not,” Rose murmured.

Lucy stepped closer to Jude, her hand finding his. ”You’re the reason they’re coming.”

He turned to face them all. ”Then I’ll be the first to greet them.”

”We’ll go together,” Rose said. ”This isn’t a test. It’s an invitation.”

They returned to the camp with purpose. The fire pit was stoked to life again, fruit was gathered, the heartstone cleared of moss and freshly adorned with petals. The pool shimmered beside it, calm and dark, like a waiting oracle. Everything pulsed with anticipation.

As they worked, the air grew warmer. The island vibrated faintly beneath their feet, not with danger - but with readiness. The forest parted at their silent requests, making way for paths they had never noticed. Flowers bloomed in fresh colors. Vines twisted into spirals as though dancing in time with their hearts.

By the time the sails touched the horizon line, they were ready.

They moved as one toward the beach, emerging from the forest like visions, like gods shaped from sunlight and love. The waves kissed their ankles as they stepped into the shallows, the sand soft and warm beneath their feet.

The first boat slowed as it neared the shore, its sail fluttering before the wind surrendered. A figure stood at the prow - a woman with close-cropped dark hair, lean muscle carved into her arms, eyes sharp and searching. She wore nothing but a wrap at her hips and a necklace of stones that glowed faintly. Behind her stood others - two men, three more women, all silent, all watching.

The boat slid into the shallows.

Jude stepped forward.

The woman leapt lightly from the boat, her feet splashing in the surf. She didn’t speak. She simply walked up to Jude and stopped two paces away. Her eyes scanned him from head to toe. Then she reached out, and with great care, placed her palm against his chest.

The moment they touched, the air thickened.

The heartstone pulsed behind them in the forest.

Jude exhaled slowly and placed his palm over hers.

Their eyes locked.

And golden light passed between them.

A hush fell over the beach.

Then the woman smiled.

”I’m Kael,” she said. ”We followed the light.”

Jude nodded. ”You’re welcome here.”

The others stepped from the boat, awe and curiosity etched into their faces. They didn’t speak right away, as if afraid to shatter the delicate hum that surrounded the clearing.

Kael’s gaze shifted behind Jude, taking in the women who flanked him - Lucy, glowing and radiant; Rose, strong and graceful; Zoey, wicked and wild; and the others, each a presence of beauty and power.

”You are many,” Kael said softly.

”And we are one,” Rose replied, stepping forward. ”This is the beginning of something new.”

Kael studied her a moment longer, then bowed her head. ”We wish to learn.”

”You will,” Lucy said. ”But you must choose.”

Kael raised an eyebrow. ”Choose what?”

”To become,” Emma said.

They led the newcomers back to the camp in silence, the forest once again parting, curious and listening. The scent of fire and fruit filled the air, and when they stepped into the clearing, Kael gasped at the sight of the pool, the heartstone, the great tree whose blossoms had not stopped blooming.

”It speaks,” one of the newcomers whispered.

”Yes,” Jude said, turning to face them. ”It sings.”

Kael looked up at the canopy, eyes wide. ”We heard it across the ocean. Every night. In dreams.”