Chapter 1759
They climbed in silence, the golden mist parting gently around their bodies like a veil of breath, a living curtain that shimmered as if infused with the same light that pulsed beneath their skin.
The steps were wide and smooth, carved not from stone but from dense woven roots, each one supporting their weight without a sound, like the island itself was lifting them with every stride.
Jude led, his body warm with the memory of the joining, the taste of Rose still on his lips, the scent of Lucy’s hair lingering in his senses. Behind him, the others moved like a single breathtwelve hearts beating in time with his, twelve bodies bound to his own not through chains but through choice, through passion, through something deeper than even the island could name.
The higher they went, the warmer the air becamenot oppressive, not heavy, but close. Intimate. Like breath against a lover’s neck. The mist thickened for a moment, and then just as quickly peeled back, revealing a wide, circular platform suspended high in the canopy. Here, the trees bent to cradle the edges of the platform, their branches arching inward like a protective embrace. Flowers bloomed in spirals across the moss-covered floor, glowing softly beneath their feet.
And at the center, a throne.
Not regal. Not cold. But alivegrown from wood and vine and bone, its back curled like a blooming flower, its seat plush with layered moss, its arms wide and waiting. Around it, twelve smaller seats had formed, low to the ground, nestled into the moss as if they had always existed, waiting for the right bodies to claim them.
Jude hesitated at the top of the stairs. "It’s a council."
Rose stepped beside him, her fingers brushing his. "It’s home."
Emma circled the throne, eyes narrowed, analyzing. "This wasn’t here before."