Chapter 1206
Rose stepped toward the fire, stretching like a cat, bare feet pressing into moss and ash. "It’s a beautiful morning," she said. "We should go back to the waterfall today."
"We just came from there," Jude replied, trying not to sound too pointed.
"But we didn’t look closely." Her gaze flicked toward Layla, and Jude caught the faintest glimmer of something in her eyes. Agreement? Command?
"Let’s talk first," Sophie said quickly. "There’s something - "
"I’m hungry," Layla interrupted, already pulling fruit from a satchel and biting into it with unnatural calm. "Let’s eat, then go."
The women gathered around the fire slowly, but the usual warmth of the circle was absent. There were no morning kisses, no shared jokes, no teasing. Just chewing. Watching. Waiting.
Zoey sat near Scarlet but kept her eyes on Layla and Rose the entire time. Her fingers never left the hilt of the small blade she always carried at her hip.
As they began packing, Jude stepped away toward the edge of the trees, motioning subtly for Sophie to follow. Once they were just out of earshot, he turned to her.
"This isn’t just us anymore," he whispered. "Layla’s changed too. And Rose... she’s spreading something. Through them."
Sophie’s face was pale, but resolute. "I’ve been watching it happen. The moment Layla kissed her by the pool, it started. There’s something in the intimacy, Jude. Something passed."
Jude clenched his jaw. "So what are we saying? That whatever came out of that river with Rose... it’s using her?"