Chapter 1586
The moment the light exploded from Jude’s body, it raced through the roots of the tree like wildfire - golden tendrils spiraling through stone, bark, and earth, rushing outward in every direction across the island. The tree shook with the force of it, branches groaning like ancient timbers in a storm. And far below, in a place none of them had touched, a deep, guttural sound echoed upward - an answering cry, low and female, like a breathless gasp rising from the island’s core.
Jude lay beneath Rose, his chest still heaving, the heat of their union shimmering in waves around them. Her body was soft against his, her breath trembling where it kissed the hollow of his neck. Around them, his wives pressed in, limbs tangled, skin slick, golden light still flickering where it pulsed in their chests. None of them moved at first. They were too spent, too overwhelmed, too full of the raw power they had stirred.
It was Lucy who stirred first, brushing damp hair from her forehead, her golden eyes wide. "Did we just wake something up?"
Rose slowly lifted herself from Jude’s chest, sweat glistening along her spine. "No," she whispered. "We called her. And she heard."
Emma sat up next, her legs folding beneath her. "She... the woman in the vision?"
"The dark one," Stella said, rubbing her arms as if suddenly cold.
"She’s more than just a woman," Zoey said, her voice hoarse from hours of moaning. "She’s something old. Something the island buried."
Sophie leaned against Jude’s side, her fingers lightly tracing his ribs. "And now it’s coming back."
Jude opened his eyes finally, a golden halo still flickering in them. "Not back," he said, voice rough. "Forward. It’s moving again."
Susan exhaled shakily. "Then what do we do now?"
Rose turned slowly to face them all. "We prepare."