Chapter 1629
Jude turned and looked at them all - his wives, his soulmates, the twelve women whose bodies and hearts had tethered him to this world. Each one glowing in the soft morning light, hair tangled, lips kiss-bitten, thighs still marked from the night before.
And yet they were stronger. Steadier. More radiant than ever.
"We’ve made something new," he said, standing slowly. "Not just love. Not just life. A... legacy."
Stella stepped forward and took his hand. "We’ve always been meant for more."
Susan brushed past them all and stepped into the pool.
There was no splash. No ripple.
Just silence.
Then the basin glowed bright, and Susan’s body lifted - hovering inches above the liquid, her back arched in rapture. Her mouth opened in a soundless moan as her body was suffused with violet light. Her hair floated around her like ink in water, and the spiral pulsed outward again.
The next ring bloomed.
When Susan settled back down, her eyes fluttered open. "We can shape it now," she whispered. "Whatever we imagine... the island will grow."
Jude swallowed hard. "And what if we imagine... each other?"