Chapter 1317
"It’s not just in us anymore," Emma added. She sat nearby with her legs curled beneath her, hands pressed to the ground as if trying to feel the island’s pulse. "It’s spreading. The whole island feels... alive. Breathing."
Sophie knelt at Jude’s side, brushing his damp hair from his forehead. Her touch lingered, reverent. "It’s not just alive," she whispered. "It’s listening."
And the tree responded.
A slow creak, deep and resonant, vibrated through the grove. The trunk of the black tree pulsed faintly, and more blossoms unfurled along the branches, each one exhaling scent so heady it made Jude dizzy. The moss beneath him shimmered faintly, growing softer, more vivid, like the ground itself was purring beneath their bodies.
Then Rose stepped forward from the circle of keepers. She was radiant - her skin kissed with gold, her eyes glowing softly, and her smile no longer eerie, but utterly serene.
"You’ve crossed," she said.
Jude turned his head, heart thudding. "Crossed what?"
"The threshold," she replied. "You didn’t just give yourself to us. You gave yourself to the island. It knows you now. Loves you. Needs you."
He sat up slowly, feeling the weight of her words. Around them, his wives listened, their bodies still close, their fingers interlaced, as if separation was no longer possible.
Rose stepped closer. She was completely nude, but there was nothing human in the way she carried herself anymore. She was earth and fire, root and bloom, woman and spirit. She reached out and placed her hand on Jude’s chest. "You’ve planted more than seed. You’ve planted presence. Now it will grow."
"Into what?" Jude asked, voice hoarse.