The Witching Moon: The Witches of Redwood Falls - Book 1 Read online

  “Then why were you there last night?”

  “Because I wanted to make it very clear that I want to be one of your options. I wanted you to know that I want you, that I’m fighting for you.” She shifted in her chair. “Here’s what I’m proposing…”

  Her eyes bulged.

  “No. I’m not actually proposing here, but I have a proposition. Date me. Go with this whole thing as if I really were your mate. If some guy shows up, one with all of your qualifications from the prophecy, then I will step aside.”

  “You’ll really step aside? Completely?”

  He swallowed hard, hoping his voice wouldn’t crack. “Yes. I’ll step aside so you can date him, can figure out if he’s what you really want. But I’ll still be here, still hoping that you’ll realize it’s me. I don’t want to force this on you, Poppy. I want you to choose me. But I’ll be doing everything I can to persuade you.”

  She stirred her coffee absently now, eying him. “And what would ‘dating’ entail?”

  “The usual stuff. Going out to crappy movies, sharing a fancy meal… necking in the car.” He grinned at her blush. She was gorgeous when color kissed her cheeks.

  “I don’t know about the make-out part of the plan, but I’ll go with the outings. The rest of it… we’ll just have to see.”

  “Totally fine,” he quickly agreed. In truth, he was relieved that she’d agreed to any of it. “Oh, and I’m not holding back any more.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve had to hold back my feelings for years. I want to hold your hand, kiss you, and say what’s on my mind. Every thought or feeling I have from now on, I’m going to express. I’m not hiding anything because of the prophecy or from worry that you’ll run away.”

  She swallowed hard, then cleared her throat. What was she getting herself in to? “So, when do you want to start?”

  “Why not today? Now?”

  “Okay.” She breathed shakily.

  “But there’s something I’d like first.”

  “What’s that?” Her eyes narrowed. “You aren’t getting a kiss, so don’t even try.”

  He snorted. “I didn’t figure or I’d already’ve had one.” He leaned across the table toward her. “I want to know what the prophecy says. All of it.”

  Her lips firmed as she shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.”

  He gulped coffee. “I think it’s only fair. You’ve rejected me once over it already. How am I going to persuade you that I’m the guy if you won’t tell me what it says?”

  “Some other way. I can’t tell you. I’m sorry.”

  Realization cut through him. She didn’t trust him. He’d shown up at the stones when he wasn’t supposed to and she thought he’d manipulate her with the rest of it. He couldn’t blame her, not really. Because if he knew what it said, he’d have figured out a way to make it apply to him. “How about this… I already know there’s a time limit. Could you at least tell me how much time we’re dealing with?”

  She debated for a minute before her shoulders fell. “Less than a week.”

  If felt like he’d been hit by a brick. “A week?” he croaked.

  “Yes. Well not even that. Thursday. The full moon.”

  “Of course.” He only had five days to convince her that he was the one for her. It was everything he could do to gulp down the rest of his drink without choking. “Guess there’s no time to lose.”

  “And this is your idea of a date?” Drake asked, scanning the mountain of junk she was accumulating as she pulled out more stuff from her cabinets. “Organizing your kitchen?”

  She bit back a grin. She really couldn’t help herself. Holding a bundt pan, she turned back to him with innocent eyes. “Yes. I’ve been putting it off far too long. Would you rather not be here? I could do it myself, but you did want to start dating me right away and since you gave me dibs on planning the first date...”

  “I do want to be with you. But just know, you’re fired from date planning.”

  She couldn’t hold back her laugh any longer. “Fine. I guess I had that one coming.”

  “After this? Absolutely.” He grinned.

  “Thank you for helping me though. It’ll go a lot faster with you here.”

  “Just tell me what to do first.” He rubbed his hands together.

  She eyed the opened cabinets, scrunching her nose at the dust, crumbs, and heaven only knew what else, littering the bottom of each. She plopped a wet sponge into his hand. “Scrub.”

  “And what will you give me?” He tossed her a saucy wink.

  She loved to see him like this. Care free, relaxed. This was a side of him that he’d hidden all this time. At least since he found out the prophecy. The dimple that crested his cheek had always been adorable, but there was more to it now.

  His green eyes twinkled, and her stomach fluttered. It wasn’t fair for any man to be that handsome. How was she supposed to keep an emotional distance from him over the next few days? His offer surprised her. She knew what he wanted, what he was trying to do. And she appreciated it. He’d given her an out that would help her let him down easily when her mate showed up.

  But when she glanced back to that dimple, she swallowed hard. She wanted to kiss it. She cleared her throat. “Ah. What do you want?”

  “I think you know.”

  She couldn’t help it then, laughter roiled out when he wiggled his brows. All unease fled and the comfort she’d always felt with him return. He was her best friend. Had been for years. She couldn’t let the prophecy take that away, couldn’t let it change anything. She couldn’t bear to lose him. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “But you like me this way.”

  “I do.” She couldn’t lie to him. Not about this. “You were never like this before.”

  “I couldn’t be.”

  A slice of guilt ate at her. She took up her own sponge and reached on her tip toes to a top shelf. She’d never meant for him to stifle anything of himself. She didn’t want that for him. To think he’d had to hold anything back, hurt her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

  His fingers brushed her hair over one shoulder, exposing her neck. A shiver coursed through her. What was happening to her? She’d never wanted to arch into his touch, to beg for more. But one small brush of his fingers had her whimpering inside.

  “I had to hold it back. After you told me of the prophecy, I knew there was nothing I could do to convince you to be with me. I knew you’d never accept it.”

  “And I will now?” Her voice was breathy, but she didn’t care.

  “Yes. I was the man at the stones.” His fingertips glided over her neck and her thoughts blurred. What had he said?

  He turned her to face him and her stomach did one quick flip when she met his hungry eyes. He wanted her, and she felt an answering curl in her belly.

  She jerked her head to the side when he leaned down, but instead of getting frustrated, he sifted his fingers through her hair, breathing in her scent below her ear.

  “You smell incredible. Like your tea roses. I could smell you forever.”

  She wavered in his touch. “It is roses. How’d you know?”

  “I smelled them in your garden this morning. I didn’t know you used them for anything other than decoration.” He massaged her scalp.

  Her eyes shuttered closed on a moan. How could something feel so good? She was grateful his other arm held her around the waist, supporting her. She would’ve melted to the floor without it.

  Her head lulled back onto his hand and her eyes fluttered open. His lips were an inch from hers, but he didn’t take, didn’t demand. It would have been easier that way. She wouldn’t have had a choice. But he wasn’t going to do that. She could see it in his eyes. He wanted her to choose. He wanted her to make the choice to kiss him.

  Her tongue wetted her lips. His eyes followed the movement, mesmerized by the action. His eyes darted back to hers, darker, deeper, and she knew he was at his limit.

  As her bo
dy burned, she forgot why she’d held back, why she’d denied herself all this time. All she could think, all she wanted, was him.

  Her arms snaked up around his neck, and she saw victory in his eyes. Longing. Desire. They surged through her like live wire, waking up parts of her body long gone dormant.

  “Poppy,” he groaned, molding her body to his.

  She gasped at the contact.

  He lowered his head to meet her lips. Knock, knock.

  They froze. Several more knocks, more forceful than the first.

  “You’ve got to kidding.” He swore as she untangled herself from his arms.

  She felt empty from loss of him, but she couldn’t ignore the knock. It jarred her out of the moment, waking her up from a hazy dream.

  Another frantic knock. “I’m coming,” she called out, stumbling toward the entry. Cracking open the door, her neighbor stood on the other side, her eyes puffy as they darted to the opening.

  “Helen?”

  “Poppy!” She latched onto her arm once Poppy opened the door all the way. “Thank heaven you’re here.”

  Poppy’s heart sped up. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

  Helen burst into tears. “It’s Molly. She’s gone.”

  “What do you mean gone? Where did she go?” Helen’s sweet four-year-old daughter was quiet and bright. She always had a big smile for Poppy when she saw her, waving to her from her mother’s car as they passed.

  “She’s lost. She was playing in the yard. I had to go inside. Just for a minute. She’d been talking about taking a walk through the woods, but I told her that we couldn’t today. She was fine. Seemed fine. But when I went inside, she must have decided to go on her own.”

  An eerie calm settled over Poppy. It was always the same. She could feel it moving over her, through her. She knew what had to be done. “How long has she been gone?”

  “A few hours now. I called the police. They’ve been searching. We’re rounding up everyone to look for her. If she’s still lost once it gets dark…” Helen’s eyes widened in panic.

  Poppy patted a slim shoulder. “That’s not going to happen.”

  Drake stepped up from behind Poppy. “Here.” He helped her put on her coat. His jacket was already zipped up, and his mouth was grim. “We shouldn’t waste any more time.”

  “I thought,” Helen said, grabbing Poppy’s hands. “I thought you could help.”

  “Of course! We’re coming with you. We won’t stop until we find her.”

  Helen’s eyes shifted. “I meant… maybe there’s something else… something more… you could do.”

  Poppy’s eyes softened. She didn’t openly discuss what she was with others in town, but her family had been there for generations. Even if she didn’t talk about it, the town members were aware of her abilities. “I’ll do everything I can.”

  “Thank you.” Helen squeezed Poppy’s hands. “Everyone’s meeting at my house in fifteen minutes.”

  Drake nodded. “We’ll be there. I’ll make a few calls to see if we can get more people.”

  Poppy ran to her kitchen once Helen left, gathering items she’d need for a location spell. “I have to find her.”

  Drake stood quietly behind the counter. He was calm, supportive, and she felt so lucky to have him in her life. “You will. We both will. Together.”

  Her eyes locked with his, and they connected. They were one. They had one purpose, one goal. He was her rock, her support, and it robbed her of speech.

  What was she going to do when fate corrected their mistake?

  Chapter 4

  The sun stretched toward the horizon by the time Drake and Poppy parked at Helen’s house. The street swarmed with people from the town who’d come to help find Molly.

  They vaulted out of the car, ignoring the deafening noise from the crowd around them. Confusion abounded as information was traded like baseball cards. No one knew much, just snippets they’d heard from others, but the one thing they did know was that a little four-year-old was lost.

  Drake held her arm, guiding her through the crowd. “What do you need?”

  “Something of hers. And somewhere quiet.”

  Ted Sommers, the town sheriff, blocked the group of searchers from entering the house. “We need to get inside.”

  “Do you see Helen?” She craned her neck searching through the shocked faces.

  “She’s probably inside.”

  He maneuvered around groups, his arm protectively around her as he declined conversations as politely as he could. “Sheriff Sommers.” Drake nodded in greeting.

  “Drake, can I help you with something?” The middled aged man’s voice was hard.

  Drake stepped aside so Poppy had more room when she answered. “Helen asked me to come.”

  Sheriff Sommers’s eyes darted between the two before nodding in understanding. “We have things well in hand, but if Helen wanted you here…” he shuffled aside, letting them pass into the house. “We’re happy for anything you can do.”

  “I’ll try,” she whispered.

  Drake squeezed her hand. She wasn’t alone in this. She had an ability, one that could help them find the girl. It had to weigh on her. If she failed…

  No. She was strong, capable as she strode through the house, surveying pictures, studying the toys strewn across the floor as if Molly had just ran away from playing with them. She could do this.

  It was eerie. He didn’t have magic, but he could sense the girl here. Could sense her in every fiber of the house. She was a part of it.

  “Can you help me?” Helen stumbled to Poppy’s side, wrenching her hands.

  “I’ll try, Helen. I’ll do everything I can.”

  “What do you need? What can I do to help you?”

  “Could you show me her room?”

  Helen’s eyes widened. “Of course. I should have thought of that.” They walked down the narrow hall to the second room. “I’ve been meaning to have her clean it.” Helen sniffled as her eyes teared at a memory. “She always fights me on it.”

  Drake reached out to the woman, his hand resting on her shoulder. “What kid doesn’t?”

  “She’s a good girl.” A raspy chuckle escaped her. “She just can’t keep her room clean.”

  “We’ll bring her back,” he reassured her. There wasn’t much he could do, but if he could bring this mother even a tiny hint of hope, he would.

  Poppy drew her attention again. “I’ll need a minute, Helen, if you don’t mind.”

  With a jerky nod, Helen said, “I’ll just be out in the front room. Let me know if you need anything.” She closed the door softly on her way out.

  Drake waited a moment, not wanting to interrupt Poppy’s thoughts. “Do you want me to leave?” he asked softly.

  She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. “No. Stay.”

  Her eyes pleaded into his. She needed him, his strength. And his heart answered for him. Always. “I’ll be right here.”

  Poppy scanned the room, letting calm settle over her mind and heart. She could feel Molly here, in the clothes spilling out of the drawers, the unmade bed, the half eaten cookies by her tea set. She’d been happy here. Loved. And the child had always known it. This was her refuge, the place where she could go play, or calm herself. It was safe. It was secure. The room echoed that.

  There’d been tears here. Scrapes and bruises from a growing child, but nothing had tainted her. Nothing had truly hurt her spirit.

  Poppy brushed a hand over a frazzle-haired doll perched at a small table. “Hold on, sweetheart. Just a little longer.”

  She needed something of Molly’s, something she loved. A stuffed animal or blanket she favored. Poppy lifted the covers and revealed a scraggly bear, its matted multi-colored fur detracted from the missing eye, but just barely. There were large stitches where someone, most likely Helen, had reattached his legs, arms, and head, mimicking a colorful mini Frankenstein. Looking at the sad toy, most people wouldn’t see its value. But Molly did.

&nb
sp; Poppy stretched for the mangy bear. Fur crunched under her hand, and she couldn’t imagine what had dried on the toy. “You’re just what I need.” She hugged the bear before turning to Drake. “Can you clear off the table?”

  He didn’t question her. He moved quickly, efficiently, sliding stuffed animals off the chairs, and carefully placing the china tea set on the dresser before brushing crumbs off the table.

  A dark lock of hair fell over his forehead, and breath stole from her chest. For the first time, she could lean on another person. She didn’t have to handle everything on her own, or hold it all in until she collapsed from both worries and exhaustion after a spell. He was there, silently supporting her in whatever she needed. She was scared this was something she could get used to. Something she couldn’t live without.

  Fishing a map out of her back pocket, she spread it over the table, eying the layout of the forest. It wasn’t the largest park in the area, but it covered miles of rough terrain.

  Placing the bear on the edge of the map, she lifted a chunk of amethyst that rested on the end of a chain from her shirt.

  She held the chain dangled from one finger. “If this is going to freak you out, you should step out now.”

  “I’m staying.”

  His jaw was set, his eyes determined. Thick, muscled arms crossed in front of him. He knew what she was. There was no way around that. They’d known each other for too long. But knowing something and seeing it were two different things. Sure, he’d seen her mix a few potions, dry herbs, gather materials, but that was preparation for her craft. This was different. Personal. No one outside of her family had seen her practice, and to let him in now meant something she wasn’t ready to acknowledge yet. “If you faint, you’re on your own.”

  His lips twitched. “I think I can manage.”

  Deep breath, she closed her eyes, stilled her heart. Focused. Her breathing deepened as her mind sought out Molly’s.