The Witching Moon: The Witches of Redwood Falls - Book 1 (9 page)

He wiped a tear from her cheek. “I’ll always
come back.”

Her eyes scrunched closed. “I thought you’d
gone for good. I thought I’d lost you.”

“Did it matter?”

“Of course!” She stilled his hand, wanting
his full attention on what she was saying. “It will always matter.
I don’t care about the prophecy. I didn’t care whether or not you
had magic. I needed you. You are my mate because I choose you.
Because I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I determine
my own fate.” She shuddered. “I thought it was too late.”

“It’s never too late.”

“If you’d come tomorrow it would’ve
been.”

He laughed softly before sobering. “But I’m
here now.”

The air was still in the circle as if
waiting for her answer. “I love you, Drake.” When relief flooded
his eyes, she couldn’t hold her feelings back any longer. “I love
you so much. I need you. I choose you. Now and forever. I accept
you as my friend, my mate, and my love. No matter how much I put
you through, you still wanted me, still fought for me. And even
when it hurt you, you stepped aside and gave me what I needed. I’ve
been selfish.” He tried to cut in but she pressed her fingers to
his lips. He kissed them, but remained silent. “I have. I’ve been
selfish. I was so focused on what I needed, who I needed, when I
needed them. I put myself first, but that’s over now. You come
first in my life. Now it’s us. If you accept me, I swear I’ll spend
the rest of my life loving you and working to make you happy.”

“You finished?”

Before she could answer, his arms dove
around her, pulling her into his body. His mouth captured hers,
tasting of possession, of longing, and her whole body responded in
kind. She couldn’t get enough, couldn’t get close enough. She
wanted to melt straight into him so that they never parted
again.

“I love you, Poppy,” he whispered between
kisses. “It’s only always been you for me. I love you.” Her chin
shook as they kissed again, but her heart lightened. She hadn’t
lost him. “I need you with me, always. I want you in my life. I
want to help you make shampoo and cook witch’s brew on the stove
until the house reeks.” She laughed. “I want to make love to you, I
want to watch you wake with the sun, I want to raise a family with
you, and I want to grow old with you.” Her chest fluttered as his
words weaved a spell over her heart. “I accept you.”

Wind tunneled through the circle, slamming
through them before dissipating once more.

“It’s done.” She viewed the silent woods in
awe. This circle was sacred, special, and it was respected. But
this was the first time she’d felt bone deep reverence within
it.

They were joined. Never to be parted from
one another. Drake gathered her up in his arms, and she closed her
eyes, tilting her face toward the sky. “Thank you,” she
whispered.

He notched her chin up with his finger. His
eyes searched hers. “You haven’t answered my question.”

“Which question?”

“The one I didn’t get to ask before the wind
almost took us out.”

She bit her lip. “Oh, that one.”

“Will you marry me, Poppy?”

“Yes. Oh, yes.” She threaded her hands
through his hair, pulling him down for a kiss. “Always yes.”

He kissed her until her head spun. She
closed the circle, giving a final blessing before wrapping her arm
around him. She was ready to go home.

Before they started down the path he asked,
“You aren’t going to change your mind if another guy with magic
comes into town are you?”

“No way. You’re the only one for me.”

“So, can I know the prophecy now?”

She hesitated. It didn’t matter what the
prophecy said. She’d made her choice and he was her mate. Still, he
had a right to know.

She told him the rest of it.

He laughed so hard it echoed through the
trees.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “What’s
so funny?”

When he caught his breath, he wiped a tear
from his eye. “Sweetheart, I could have eased your mind long ago
had you told me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Marked by the moon. Do you know what that
means?”

She shook her head. “Does that mean
something to you?” It was the only part of the prophecy she hadn’t
understood.

He grinned before lifting his shirt. Just
above the waist of his jeans was a crescent birthmark. “The moon,”
she breathed.

“My father has it. My grandfather too. It’s
passed down from father to son.”

Her mouth fell open. “It must be linked with
your line.”

He shrugged the shirt back down. “We’ll have
to find out. But that makes sense.”

Laughter floated from her lips. And just
like that, everything made sense. All the years of preparation, of
worrying about who her mate was, had been for nothing. Because he’d
been by her side the whole time.

The prophecy was true. Her mate had claimed
her at Cloch Chroí.

Fate had guided her all along. She looked up
into the smiling eyes of the man she loved. She’d never doubt Fate
again.

Would you like to read
another Janelle Daniels book for
FREE
?

Stay up to date on new releases and giveaways
through the Janelle Daniels newsletter!

Sign up for her newsletter through the link
below and specify in the comments which book you would like to
receive. It will be emailed to you shortly after. Happy
reading!

www.janelledaniels.com/contact

Please post a
review

On
Amazon

On
Goodreads

Discover other titles by Janelle Daniels

www.janelledaniels.com

Connect with me online

I love to hear from readers!

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Janelle-Daniels/155252004529054

Pinterest:

http://pinterest.com/JDanielsRomance/boards/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/_JanelleDaniels

Other Titles by Janelle Daniels

Scandal of Love

Masquerade Secrets

Secrets in Mourning

Sunkissed

My Only Wish

Coming Soon

A Kiss with Scandal