Chapter 1365

He looked around at them - twelve women, each marked by the spiral, each changed in subtle, beautiful ways. There was something in their eyes now that hadn't been there before. Not darkness. Not madness. Something deep. A knowing. An ancient calm.

"What happens now?" he asked.

Zoey gave a lazy smile. "Now we begin."

Sophie stepped closer to the altar, her body still glowing faintly, and sat beside Jude's legs. "We've danced around this power for too long. The island has been waiting for us to surrender. And last night, we finally did."

Natalie added, "She wants us whole. All of us. Not just lovers. Not just dreamers. But bonded. Soul-deep."

Stella pressed her cheek to Grace's shoulder. "She chose us for this."

"And now?" Lucy asked. "Now that we've accepted her?"

Rose looked toward the sky, where the trees still shimmered with faint light. "Now we give back."