Read The Witching Moon: The Witches of Redwood Falls - Book 1 for Free Online

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.
    Poppy gasped as she connected with the girl.
Molly was scared, cold. But safe. For now anyway. She wandered
around, tears spilling at her feet as she tried to navigate a
forest that looked the same everywhere she looked.
    Poppy cleared all thoughts, envisioning a
white canvas in her mind. Her finger curled around the chain,
harnessing it before she twirled it. The stone swirled beneath her
closed eyes. She didn’t need to watch it. She could feel it.
    Her mind rushed from white into the thick
green of the forest as she searched over hills and valley. There
was so much ground. So many places for a little girl to hide.
    “Help me, sweetheart. Come on.” She felt the
first trickle of recognition as Molly’s mind latched on to hers.
The amethyst swung wide, arching across the page before the point
planted into the map.
    Breath Whooshed from her lungs as her eyes
fluttered open. “Found her,” she whispered as the energy that
charged her fled, leaving her weak.
    She glanced to Drake, using precious energy
she needed to conserve the first moments after a spell.
    His eyes were wide, locked onto the gravity
defying stone. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
    Her gut clenched. Was he repulsed? She
should have sent him away, shouldn’t have let him see what she was.
She hadn’t been thinking straight, she scolded herself. She’d
gotten too comfortable with him.
    “That was the most incredible thing I’ve
ever seen.” He brushed his hand against her shoulder.
    Power flowed back into her, staggering her
with its strength. She sunk to the ground, holding a hand to her
head to stop her vision from spinning. What was that?
    Her mouth fell open as she shifted, all
weakness in her limbs gone. How was this possible? It normally took
her days to fully recover from a spell like that.
    He knelt in front of her, his eyes filled
with worry. “Are you all right? What happened? You went completely
pale.”
    “I’m fine.” Deep
breath. More than fine . “I get a little shaky after spells. It will pass.” It
wasn’t a lie. That’s normally how it worked. She didn’t know why
power had surged back into her, but until she figured it out, she
wanted to keep it quiet.
    He helped her up, leaning her body against
his, but she didn’t protest. She didn’t need his assistance,
although normally, it might’ve been necessary. Instead of balking
at their closeness, she relished the feel of him against her, the
strength that surrounded her.
    Helen jumped from the couch when they came
into view. “Did you find her?”
    Reaching out, Poppy smiled. “Yes. She’s
okay. She’s about a mile southeast.”
    Helen burst into tears before lunging into
Poppy’s arms for a hug.
    “Southeast?” Sheriff Sommers scratched his
chin. “Everything indicates that she headed north.”
    “She’s southeast. You’ll find her by a small
creek.”
    She’d barely finished speaking before he was
barking orders into his radio.
    “Thank you, Poppy. Thank you.”
    Poppy shook her head. “You don’t need to
thank me. I’d do anything to help find her.”
    “Bless you.” Helen gripped her hand one last
time.
    Fifteen minutes later, a cheer rang out when
news spread that Molly had been found alive and well.
    “You did it,” Drake pressed a kiss to her
forehead. “You saved her.”
    A blush crested her cheeks. “I didn’t do
much.”
    He cradled her face. “You did it all. I’m so
proud of you. Come on, let’s head home.”
    She nodded, emotionally drained from the
experience.
    He was quiet on the short drive home,
allowing her to think about Molly. For a brief moment, her heart
eased, a