Drake let go of her arm at his car, but he didn’t say anything. He stood there, waiting. Watching. She’d never been a coward, but she struggled to meet his eyes. When she did, there was pain there, and it lanced through her as well.
“Don’t do this, Poppy,” he begged.
She shook her head, her eyes filling. “You know I have to, Drake. We talked about this.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “I know what I said. But you have a choice in this. Just like you did before.” He gripped her hands in his. “I love you. Choose me. Pick me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Her mouth dropped open as the first tear fell. “I can’t do this, Drake. You know I can’t turn away from the prophecy. I can’t. He fits. It all fits. I can’t walk away from this.”
“What do you want me to do then? Just sit here and let you go? It’d be easier to rip out my heart.”
“I’m sorry for that. I never wanted to hurt you.” She stroked his clenched jaw. “But I have to. We agreed on this.”
“We did.” He backed away from her, breaking all contact, and that one little move cut her to the quick. “I promised that I’d step aside, that I’d let you do what you needed to, that I’d let you figure it out.” He shook his head. “But I won’t stay here and watch you. I can’t.”
His eyes pleaded, and her heart answered. But she couldn’t give in. This was too important, and there so little time.
His eyes traveled over her as if committing her to memory. The thought chilled her. “I’m not saying this is a sure thing or forever, Drake. I just need to figure this out.”
He swallowed hard, nodding. “I understand, Poppy. I really do.”
“Why don’t you go on ahead? I’m going to stay in town for a bit and walk home when I’m done.”
Drake looked in the direction Zander had gone, eyes lit with understanding. He nodded once, turning on his heel before climbing into the car.
A smile wobbled on her lips when he gazed at her one last time before driving away.
When she could no longer see his car, air wheezed out of her lungs and she sunk to a bench. She didn’t want this. Any of it. She didn’t want to hurt Drake, but she didn’t have another choice. Drake had to know that.
He was her best friend. She couldn’t bear to lose him over this. But the reality was, he didn’t have magic. And her mate did.
Swiping a tear from her cheek, she breathed deeply. This is how it had to be. She’d talk to Drake later, and they’d work it out. They could get passed this, could go back to how they were before.
I love you. He’d said the words, but he didn’t really mean them. At least not in the way he thought. They’d loved each other for a long time. How could they not? They’d been together too long, been through too much together to not care deeply about one another. In time, Drake would realize that they weren’t meant to be together.
He had to.
As she wandered down the street, she wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince anymore.
Chapter 6
The Witching Moon: The Witches of Redwood Falls - Book 1 Page 10
