The Witching Moon: The Witches of Redwood Falls - Book 1 (2 page)

But he would. He couldn’t leave. Not like
this. Not without seeing her taken from him with his own eyes. He
wouldn’t abandon her no matter the cost to himself.

He pushed from the tree, his steps quick,
determined. He may not be her soul mate, but she was his. And no
matter what happened, he’d be there for her.

He walked in without knocking. The habit so
ingrained, he didn’t think about it. Hanging up his dripping coat,
he called out, “You in here?”

“Yeah, come back to the kitchen,” she called
out.

The air smelled like a mixture of spices,
strong, potent, but still pleasant. He couldn’t place which ones
they were. Even after all this time, she’d been unable to teach
him.

There was history here. With every step he
took on the dark wood floor, a memory came to him. His eyes
narrowed on the freshly polished planks beneath his boots. Poppy
polished the floor four times a year, but it wasn’t time for it
yet. He didn’t need to ask why she’d broken her routine, why the
whole house was recently dusted, or why a full bouquet of hot house
flowers rested in her grandmother’s vase on the entry table.

She was expecting to bring someone home
tonight.

His gut clenched. She’d bring him here, of
course. They couldn’t stand in the circle all night. The thought of
them together, here, cut him to the quick.

Needing a breath, he leaned against a wall,
dragging in air. He didn’t want Poppy to see him like this. To see
what a wreck he was.

His head jerked up when she peaked through
the kitchen door down the hall he was falling apart in. “You
coming?”

“Yeah.” He tried to sound casual as he
brushed his hands on his pants. “Smells great in here.”

“Raspberry leaf.” He raised a brow and she
shook her head softly before turning back to her work. “It’s
calming.” She picked up her pestle and crushed dried leaves of some
sort into the mortar.

He rounded the counter, hunching to see her
working beneath a rack of drying herbs. “What are those?”

“This and that,” she evaded. “Just
restocking my supplies.”

He tucked a blond curl that fell forward
behind her ear and her motions slowed. She was so beautiful. Her
hands were so soft and delicate you’d never imagine the strength
they possessed. He’d imagined them all over him.

He closed his eyes,
cursing himself.
Don’t go
there!

“I didn’t realize you were low on anything.
Do you need me to pick something up?” he asked, hoping to distract
himself.

She blushed. “Actually… no.”

“Then why are you doing this?”

She ground a little faster. “I just need to
keep myself busy.” His fist clenched under the counter top.

“Do you want some help?” His voice was
hoarse. “I don’t mind you putting me to work.”

She looked at him then. Really looked at
him. Her eyes softened. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,
Drake.”

“You won’t ever have to find out.” He’d said
the same things many times, but this was the first time he felt a
twinge of doubt. Could he stay here and see her with another man?
He wanted to think he was stronger than that, better than that, but
he knew it he wasn’t. It would break him to see her with someone
else. To see another man hold her, kiss her, as he had never been
able to do.

Her voice was so soft, he almost didn’t hear
her ask, “Promise?”

He turned away, muttering a curse. She
gasped and his eyes sliced back to her. “I’m not made of stone,
Poppy. No matter how much I’m trying to hide it, this is killing
me.”

Her mouth fell open. “I don’t know what to
say.”

He rounded the counter, gripping her arms.
“Tell me you don’t want this. That you don’t want him. Tell me you
wished you never heard the prophecy, that you don’t believe it.
Damn it! That you’re frustrated and hurting as I am.”

“Drake…”

He jerked his head. “No. Don’t. Just don’t
say anything.” She rubbed her red lips together, bringing him to
his knees. “Don’t do that.”

Her fingers stilled. “Do what?”

“Your lips. I’m barely keeping my hands off
you as is.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Why?”

“You know why.” Her eyes turned wary, but he
couldn’t stop the words from coming out. “You’ve always known why.
I love you, Poppy. I’ve loved you forever. You’re the only woman
I’ve ever wanted and you’re all I’ll ever want.” He grabbed her
hand and kissed her fingers. “I’ve held back for years because it
was what you wanted. But I can’t any more. Tonight you’ll meet him,
but you don’t have to. You don’t have to go.”

She shook her head in denial, but he cut her
off. “It’s your choice. You can go and meet a faceless man, one you
don’t know, one who doesn’t love you. Or you can stay here and be
with me.” She gasped, trying to yank her hand away, but he held it
firm and pressed it against his heart. His eyes blazed into hers.
“Stay with me. Choose me.”

Her chin shook, tears sprang to her eyes.
She tried to turn away, but he held her, couldn’t let her go.

“I can’t,” she cried. “I can’t, Drake. I
can’t outrun this, I can’t ignore it. Whoever’s there tonight, he’s
the one I’m meant to be with.”

“You’re meant to be with me,” he
growled.

“No.”

“How do you know? How do you know it’s not
me?”

Her eyes searching his face, looking but not
finding what she needed. “I just do. The prophecy says things about
him. Things that aren’t you.” Her voice cracked. “I’m sorry.”

His gut twisted. She’d never told him
exactly what the prophecy said, and he’d never asked. He hadn’t
wanted to know any of it. But now he did. “What does it say?”

Tears tracked down her cheeks. “It doesn’t
matter now.”

He nodded once. There wasn’t anything else
he could say. He’d given her everything, all that was inside of
him, but it hadn’t been enough. It never would be enough. He wasn’t
the man from the prophecy.

She stumbled away and sagged against the
back of a chair once he released her. He looked his fill, knowing
she would haunt his dreams forever. “Good luck tonight. I hope he’s
everything you’re hoping for.”

Her lips pressed together, and he couldn’t
take the stabbing in his heart any longer. He walked away from her,
from everything he’d ever wanted because it was what she
wanted.

He couldn’t force her to love him, to choose
him. No matter how much he wanted her, it had to be her choice.

And she chose the prophecy.

Poppy readjusted the shawl over her
shoulders as she stepped out into the chilly night. The
trick-or-treaters stopped ringing her doorbell hours ago. Wind
picked up in the trees as she started down the forest path, deeply
breathing in the night. It helped soothe her nerves, helped calm
her jumpy stomach.

She’d dreamed about this night since she was
a little girl. The moment where she would meet her mate, the man
who loved her above all others. The man she’d bind herself to.

But so much was wrong. In
those girlhood dreams, she’d never imagined Drake. Never imagined
how much he’d come to mean to her. How much she’d want him.
Breathe.

She couldn’t think of Drake now. It wasn’t
right. She was going to meet someone else, and she had to push
aside her broken heart. If only things were different. If only she
had a choice…

Then what?
Her mind taunted. Would she choose Drake? Would
she take his offer and stay with him? Her heart whispered,
yes
.

Why was she tormenting herself? She couldn’t
have Drake. He was normal and good. Wonderful. Perfect. But he
wasn’t the man from the prophecy.

He didn’t have magic.

On all Hallows Eve of your twenty-eighth
year, when the moon peaks in the forest near, search here for your
mate will be, not far from the edge of the sea.

Born of magic and marked by the moon, your
union will be made soon. He whispers on the wind and the fates
obey, for they listen to what he has to say.

‘
Til the next full moon is all the time
you have together to forge your union or lose it forever. If hearts
aren’t joined by the bright circle’s light, then surrender your
love to the dark of night.

The prophecy replayed in
her mind, torturing her. She didn’t know what it all meant,
but
born of magic
was clear enough.
She couldn’t even
teach Drake the most basic uses for herbs.

He was a normal man. Blissfully,
wonderfully, normal. The kind that appreciated the beauty around
him, that worked hard, and was kind to others. When given the
opportunity, he hadn’t set out to build his fortune, to conquer the
world. He’d stayed, tending the land and stepping into the
community with an assurance he’d been born with.

He knew where he belonged. Others searched
their whole lives for that knowledge. Drake never questioned
it.

She swallowed hard,
slowing her steps. Once the path emptied into the clearing ahead,
she’d see Cloch Chroí
,
the Heart Stone. She’d been there more times than she could
count, could walk this path blindfolded.

She’d come here as a child, trying to
imagine this moment, but none of those rosy girlhood dreams
compared to what she was going through now. Grief weaved through
her heart, mixing with a curiosity she couldn’t tame.

Who would be there? Would he be waiting for
her? Was he expecting to meet her here?

She frowned. She’d never thought of that
before. What if he was just passing through, catching a tourist
location before moving on? Granted, it was the middle of the night,
but it was also Halloween. It wasn’t unheard of for people to
trespass, seeking a moment of terror.

She’d known about him since she was a child,
but he could be completely oblivious about what would happen. The
end of the prophecy struck her.

Til the next full moon is all the time you
have together to forge your union or lose it forever. If hearts
aren’t joined by the bright circle’s light, then surrender your
love to the dark of night.

If he didn’t recognize her, if he didn’t
know about the prophecy, he could reject her. He could want no part
of this. She could lose him.

Just like she’d lost Drake.

No!

She couldn’t lose them both. That would mean
that she’d pushed Drake away for nothing. And she couldn’t let that
happened. Years of waiting couldn’t have been for nothing.

Pushing from the tree, she marched into the
clearing, her eyes searching the stones before latching on to a
figure leaning against the middle stone.

The Heart Stone.

Her heart sped up. This was happening. This
was real. He was exactly where the prophecy said he’d be.

She weaved through the damp, tall grass in
the field toward the circle. Toward her mate.

She hesitated outside, waiting, watching. It
was bright. The moon wasn’t full, but there wasn’t a cloud in the
sky. Soft blue rays caressed dark hair, bouncing off broad
shoulders to a tapered waist. He was tall, and from only seeing his
back, handsome too.

He drew her to him. As much as she resented
that, she couldn’t deny it. Who was he?

“Hi.” She squeezed her eyes closed, wanting
to disappear in a hole. Hi? Really? That was the best thing she
could come up with? “Do I know you?”

His body stiffened at her voice, then
relaxed as he turned.

She gasped. “Drake?”

He nodded slowly, his dark brown eyes
connecting with hers.

Her shoulders fell as the moment deflated.
“What are you doing here?”

“What do you think I’m doing?”

“I have no clue what you think you’re doing.
All I know is that you aren’t supposed to be here.”

His chin notched up as he folded his arms
across his body. “This is exactly where I’m supposed to me.”

“No. This is where I’m supposed to be. Where
I’m supposed to meet my mate.” She looked around the clearing.
“Have you seen him?”

He nodded once.

“Well, where is he?” Her hands rested on her
hips.

“In front of you.”

“In front of…” Her eyes slid over him again.
“No. No, Drake. I already told you today. You’re not him.”

A muscle ticked in his cheek, but he held
his ground. “I’m him. I’m here. Look around us, Poppy. Do you see
someone else?”

She stomped her foot. “This is crazy! Why
are you doing this?”

He stalked her until they were toe to toe.
“Because I love you. Because even though you rejected me, I still
want you. Because even though you say I’m not him, I’m willing to
fight to be him.”

He stood tall and broad, not touching her,
but using his body, his nearness to affect her. It worked. She
shivered; her hands itched to touch him. But she couldn’t. He
shouldn’t be here.