They formed a circle again, this time not for pleasure, but for promise.
Jude held the fruit over his heart, and each of them placed their hands over his - Rose first, then Lucy, then Sophie, Emma, Stella, Zoey, Grace, Natalie, Susan, Layla, Scarlet. One by one. They didn't speak. They didn't need to.
Jude closed his eyes and bit into the fruit.
It melted on his tongue - sweet, electric, like nectar from another world. As he swallowed, warmth burst inside him, flooding his chest, flowing through his veins like starlight.
He gasped, dropping to his knees.
But the others caught him.
Lucy kissed his forehead. "We're here."
Then, without hesitation, she bit into the fruit as well.
One by one, they all did. Sharing it. Passing it from hand to hand, mouth to mouth. The taste never changed, but the reaction did - shudders, gasps, moans of wonder. It wasn't pain. It was transformation.
As the last piece vanished between Sophie's lips, the grove burst into light.
