Chapter 946

He sat up slowly, his head ringing, muscles stiff and sore. The robe was gone, reduced to a pile of dust at the base of the central stone. Around him, the twelve stones stood unchanged, except for subtle, glowing lines now etched between each, connecting them. A pattern had emerged, something the island had accepted or perhaps feared. Jude touched the nearest line, and it warmed under his fingers, pulsing gently with a rhythm that was not his own.

He didn't need to ask if the wives were safe. He felt them, some strange, quiet certainty that the island had not touched them in his absence. It had seen him. Heard him. Chose to blink instead of devour.

Footsteps approached. Zoey was the first to reach the circle, her boots squelching in the wet grass. She was soaked through but smiling, her eyes bright with relief. She dropped to her knees beside him and wrapped him in a fierce, shivering hug.

"You're back," she said into his neck.