"You don't have to fight anymore," Rose said, stepping forward, her bare feet silent on the slick stones. "You don't have to fear me. I can take it all away. I can give you peace."
Sophie moved closer to Jude, her hand sliding into his, her grip fierce and grounding. "Don't listen," she said, her voice steady despite the storm. "She's not Rose. Not anymore."
But Rose's smile deepened, soft and knowing, and for a heartbeat Jude saw the woman he'd loved, the woman he still loved, behind the glow of her skin, behind the hunger in her gaze. His breath caught, torn between memory and fear, between longing and the cold reality of what stood before him.
"You feel it," Rose whispered, her voice barely audible over the storm, but he heard it as clearly as if she spoke into his ear. "We belong to this island. We belong to each other. Let it happen. Let , me, happen."