Chapter 1314

The light from the trees pulsed like breath, deeper now, slower, as if the island itself had climaxed and lay in a moment of post-orgasmic stillness. The air was thick with scent - earth, skin, nectar, sweat. Jude's body was heavy, his muscles trembling with a pleasure that bordered on pain, exhaustion curling through his limbs like vines. But he wasn't done. The island wouldn't let him be done.

Around him, the women moved in reverence and ease. Rose lay against one of the glowing roots, her body half-draped in vines that seemed to move with her breath. Stella and Grace were curled around each other, lips locked in a kiss that never quite ended, their hands moving slowly, endlessly, as if memorizing the shape of one another for eternity. Lucy knelt between Thalia's thighs, her mouth glistening, fingers buried deep, both women humming the song now without even noticing.