They were building something - Jude could feel it. Not just with words or bodies, but in the weave of their energy. He could sense the connection running through them all now like golden thread. It wasn't just intimacy. It was fusion.
The glade had become a sacred space.
And in the silence that followed, they all turned toward the same sound - the river beyond the trees, where the water now sang with a melody identical to their hums. The island had joined the song.
Natalie took Jude's hand and pulled him to his feet. "Come. There's one more part."
He stood shakily, legs unsteady but willing. The women followed him, surrounding him, their bodies brushing his as they moved with him through the trees. They passed through a corridor of vines and ferns, descending toward the riverbank where white stones lined the edge of the water. The current shimmered now, as though filled with liquid light.
In the center of the river was a platform of stone - natural, round, and ancient.
