Rose approached him once again, this ti slower, more deliberate.
She straddled him. Kissed his lips. Touched his chest.
But Jude didn’t move.
"What’s wrong, love?" she whispered, her breath warm against his ear. "You’re so tense."
"I saw you," he said. "By the river. With that thing."
Her body stilled.
Then she smiled. "You must be seeing things again."
"I’m not."
"You’re tired, Jude. You’ve always been a little... suspicious." She kissed his jaw. "But that’s okay. I’ll show you how good it can feel to stop thinking so much."
He pushed her off, gently but firmly.
Rose rose to her feet, not angry, not surprised.
Just smiling.
"I’m always here, you know," she said softly, walking backward into the shadows. "When you’re ready."
When she was gone, Jude exhaled and looked over the camp. All of them. One by one. Most asleep. So curled together in tangled warmth. So murmuring in their sleep. So smiling.
He stood and walked to Sophie’s hammock.
She opened her eyes the mont he touched her hand.
"We go back to that tunnel," he whispered. "Tomorrow. No one else. Just us."
Sophie nodded, eyes gleaming in the dark.
And sowhere across the clearing, hidden in the shadow of trees, Rose stood.
Watching.
Smiling.
Jude woke before the light. The air around him felt damp and heavy, like the forest was holding its breath. Sophie was still asleep, her arm slung across his waist, her breath warm and even. He didn’t move for a mont, listening. The trees made no sound. The wind didn’t stir. Even the river far in the distance had quieted to a murmur, as if sothing deeper had swallowed it whole. He slipped from the bed of woven leaves and driftwood and stepped outside the house they’d built together, letting the cool air settle on his bare skin.
The morning mist curled low over the forest floor. Sowhere beyond the trees, he knew Rose was awake. She always was. Since that day at the river, she rarely slept. She had beco more than herself, more alert, more physical, more affectionate. The others didn’t seem to question it anymore. Not even Layla or Zoey, who now mirrored her every movent like dancers in so seductive trance. It was hard to look away when they were near. Even harder not to want them.
Jude rubbed his hands over his face, then went to gather so of the fruit they’d stored in baskets outside the main fire pit. Susan was already there, slicing papaya with practiced ease. Her eyes flicked up, warm but cautious.
"You’re up early," she said.
"I couldn’t sleep."
She nodded. "It’s getting stranger, isn’t it?"
"Every day."
He didn’t have to say what he ant. She already knew. The air. The island. The won.
By the ti the sun crested the trees, the others were slowly waking. Rose was the first out of the other house, her long hair cascading over her shoulder, bare feet silent against the wooden planks. She smiled when she saw Jude, walking straight to him, wrapping her arms around his waist like a lover greeting her husband after years apart. He didn’t pull away. He wasn’t ready to confront her again. Not yet.
Behind her, Layla appeared, stretching in that slow, feline way she had, her shirt barely clinging to her curves. Then Zoey, who pressed a kiss to Layla’s shoulder before heading straight for Rose and planting a soft kiss to her cheek.
Breakfast was warm and sweet, filled with laughter. They ate together on the soft moss by the fire. Emma sat between Stella and Natalie, playing with their fingers, resting her head against Stella’s thigh. Sophie joined late, sitting beside Jude, watching everything with quiet eyes. The harmony was beautiful, but to Jude, it felt too rehearsed, too perfect.
"Let’s go on a walk," Sophie whispered in his ear.
He nodded, and they slipped away.
The forest path was damp and winding. They walked for a long ti without speaking, their fingers brushing, then tangling together. Jude could feel her heartbeat in her palm.
"I feel like I’m losing them," he finally said.
Sophie looked up. "Not yet."
"Then when?"
She hesitated. "Maybe we’ve already lost them. Maybe we’re next."
Jude stopped walking. "Don’t say that."
She turned toward him, her gaze soft. "Then kiss like you still rember who I am."
He didn’t hesitate. Their lips t with a slow ache, a yearning he’d tried to hide since the fear began. Sophie’s arms slid around his neck, pulling him deeper into her. The kiss turned heated, frantic. She pushed him gently against a tree, hands exploring, mouth needy. It was raw, desperate, like the island had beco too much and they needed to feel alive, together. When it ended, their foreheads touched, their breath mingling.
"I’m still ," she whispered. "And I still want you."
"I want you too," he murmured. "Always."
They returned to camp close to midday. The mont they stepped into the clearing, they felt it. The air shifted. Sothing was missing.
"Where’s Susan?" Jude asked, looking around.
Natalie shrugged. "She said she wanted to check the lake. Maybe she’s still there."
Grace erged from one of the huts, rubbing her temples. "She left with Zoey, I think. Or maybe Rose."
Jude’s heart sank.
He looked at Sophie. "We need to find them."
But before they could move, the sound of laughter echoed from the far side of the clearing. Rose stepped through the trees, soaked to the waist, her shirt clinging to her skin, hair dripping. She was laughing. Layla followed, laughing too, her cheeks flushed and hair wet. Then Zoey erged, half-naked, wearing only her soaked pants, her smile wide and wild.
And behind them, walking slowly, was Susan.
Her clothes were dry.
But her smile...
Jude stared.
It was the sa smile Rose wore that first night after returning from the river.
The sa smile Layla had after her swim.
The sa smile Zoey had just days later.
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