Insight

by Jennis Slaughter

Rising up, the brunette ran her tongue over Del’s upper lip before she let the tip of it push inside to glide over Del’s; tasting a hint of tomato and basil left over from the sauce. She had to stop herself from kissing the woman like she really wanted to, not wanting to cause her any pain.

  Del whimpered, leaning over Rae to get closer. She knew Raelin was holding back, not wanting to bother her lip, but it wasn’t enough so she carefully closed the gap between them and pressed her lips gently against Rae’s.

  Still kissing the blonde carefully, Raelin enjoyed the sensations that were running through her body, and it was by the slimmest margins that she refrained from drawing the woman so that she would lay on top of her. She wanted, no, she needed to feel Del’s weight against her.

  Del felt the desire run through her, all her nerves suddenly alive. She wanted nothing more than to crawl onto the sofa with this beautiful woman, probably to never get up again. She broke away from their kiss when air became a necessity and stared down into deep brown eyes. “Dinner is going to get cold Darlin’.”

  Normally copper-colored eyes were now a rich chocolate brown in need and Raelin couldn’t stop staring at Delaney’s lips. “Yeah...cold...okay.” Clearing her throat, she started to sit up.

  “You have no idea how hard it was not to crawl onto that couch with you, trust me. It’s just that I also really want to have a nice dinner with you. I hope you’ll like what I cooked. Kitchen skills aren’t really something I’m known for.” She stood and held out her hand to other woman.

  Taking the offered hand, Rae stood up and straightened her clothes. “And what exactly are you known for?” she joked as she followed the blonde into the dining room, admiring the sway of her hips.

  “I can’t give away all my secrets now can I?” Del stopped and allowed Rae to take in the room. “It’s not much, but I hope you like it,” she whispered shyly, pulling out Rae’s chair so she could sit.

  Raelin took it all in; the flowers, pasta, and the homemade sauce. Picking up the rose that was on her plate, she sniffed it, and then reached out to draw Del to her. Tilting her head back so that she could look up into green eyes, she let her happiness shine though. “No one has ever taken the time to do this for me. This is perfect.”

  “You’re more than welcome and it’s not nearly as much as you deserve,” she leaned down and gave Rae a final peck on the lips before she took her own seat across the table. “You’ll be surprised to learn that Rori was a big help and I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without him.”

  Turning her head, the brunette looked at her cat. “Thank you Rori,” she spoke aloud for Del’s benefit.

  “I think we may have come to an understanding, but I can’t talk to him the way you can, so I can never be sure. Did you get enough sleep?”

  “I did, thank you. I’ll ask Rori if you want me to, just so you could be sure.” Rae took a bite of the salad, and waited.

  Del watched Rori nibbling on his dinner, knowing he could hear the conversation. “No, that’s okay. I’m sure he’ll let me know if he has a problem. I’d rather not put you in the middle.”

  Rae laughed as she took a final sniff of the rose and laid it on the table next to her plate. Starting with the salad, she was surprised with the dressing as it wasn’t one that she had in the fridge. Looking closely, she could see toasted pecans and shallots while her tongue could discern honey, apple cider vinegar and a touch of Dijon mustard. “This dressing is amazing. You have got to give me the recipe.”

  “I think I mostly got lucky with the dressing,” Del chuckled. “I just threw together whatever I found in your fridge. Which is much better stocked than my own might I add,” Del answered, sprinkling some parmesan over her pasta.

  “So you made the dressing and the sauce...good thing I had the noodles or you would have probably made them too. If you’re this good in the kitchen, I can’t even begin to wonder how good you are in bed.” Rae’s hand came up and covered her mouth, as she closed her eyes in embarrassment. “Tell me I did not say that out loud?”

  “Oh, you totally did, but you keep doing what you did on the sofa and you might find out sooner rather than later. You have no idea just how much you are testing my self-restraint.” She grinned wryly, taking slow bites of her noodles.

  Finishing her salad Raelin started in on her pasta, sprinkling some of the freshly grated parmesan on top. After taking a bite, she closed her eyes and moaned. “Goddess...this is heavenly.”

  Del felt her face flush red. “It’s not much. Not even close to that roast the other night.”

  After a few bites, Rae put her fork down and folded her hands in her lap. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

  “You can ask me anything you like,” Del replied, giving Raelin her full attention.

  Staring down at her hands for a few moments, Rae softly asked, “Does it bother you that I’ve never been with anyone? I know that I’ve been the one to make the first moves, but I honestly have never done anything other than kiss.”

  Del knew Rae deserved an honest answer so she took a minute to think about her feelings before answering, “I don’t think it’s a problem at all. I do find it a little intimidating though. I have experience and I don’t want you to feel like I’m pushing you. Maybe that’s why I’m sitting back and letting you take the reins so to speak. I just don’t want you to decide all of a sudden that this isn’t something you want after all. I guess it’s just a situation I’ve never been in and that makes me a little nervous.”

  “You already know that I’ve dreamed of you, but I knew that you were coming...actually, I should say that someone was coming. However, I’ve been waiting for you specifically for a long time. When I first saw you in town, I could feel your eyes on me like they were your hands...you started at my calves and worked your way up. I still have no idea what Jasper said to me,” Rae admitted.

  “Here I thought I was being subtle. When you turned around and looked me right in my eyes, I felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. I couldn’t have torn my eyes away if I’d wanted to. I even asked the waitress about you. Jasper caught us you know. He didn’t actually get a phone call; it was the alarm on his phone. He set us up that night.”

  Shaking her head Rae grinned and was about to say something more when something came to mind. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and went as still as a statue before she opened her eyes and smiled. “Sorry about that. I just figured something out, but I’ll keep it to myself. I understand the way that you are.”

  Del looked at her with wide eyes. “That’s not fair! You can’t just say something like that and not follow up.”

  “I just figured out who you are helping, that’s all. And I know that you won’t confirm it so why ask?” The brunette picked up her fork to take another bite of pasta.

  “You are correct. Please understand that it’s not because I am trying to keep secrets from you,” she replied, finishing the last bite of pasta on her plate.

  “I know, but I feel that I could help you more if I had a better idea of what was going on. I mean, I know about the missing girls and that the Kingsleys are in on it. I just don’t understand how you got all the information from...who you got it from,” she quickly finished her own plate and pushed it away.

  Del sighed a little knowing she couldn’t keep it from Rae forever. “I’ll tell you what, how about I try and see if I can get them to agree to tell you. That way I’m not blowing their cover and you can be in on the know,” she got up to clear Rae’s plate, kissing her temple as she reached around her.

  A Chapter 9 a

  Standing up, she joined the blonde in the kitchen, going over to the stove to check on the soup. “Do you want to come with me to see Jenny? She really hasn’t been awake much since she got here. I think that she’s more emotionally and mentally hurt than physically. I think that she’s feeling guilty that she got away.”

  “That often happens in these situations. I looked in on her a few times while I cooked din
ner, but she hadn’t moved.”

  Fixing the soup, Rae walked through the utility room until she got to the back bedroom. Opening the door, she motioned to Del to follow her and they went into the bedroom. As she stepped into the room, the brunette smiled as she saw that her young friend was awake. “Hey...how are you feeling?”

  Jenny blinked up at Rae, letting the last bits of sleep drain away before she tried to answer. “Like a truck hit me,” she coughed a little, her throat dry, and then she noticed Del standing near the door, and narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

  “Don’t worry about her; she’s someone who can help. Jenny LeBlanc meet Delaney Delacroix. She was hired by the Kingsleys to find you.” Rae sat on the edge of the bed and offered the young woman the soup.

  “The Kingsleys? Why would they do that?” Jenny tried to sit up so she could eat, but gasped as pain shot through her chest. She lay down quickly, trying to get the pain to ease. “Gods above, that hurt.”

  Rae helped her sit more comfortably and started spooning her some soup. “Why don’t I let Delaney tell you what she knows and that way, she’ll be able to answer all your questions? I’m coming in on the tail end of this and I just have guesses.”

  Jenny looked at Del for a long moment, feeling her out. Finally, she nodded, allowing Del to sit next to Rae on the bed.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you Jenny. I’ll answer your questions as best as I can, but keep in mind that even I don’t have all the answers yet,” she explained, offering to take the bowl from Rae’s hand.

  Raelin stood and allowed the blonde to take her place. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I want to hear all of this too.”

  Jenny nodded her consent and allowed Del to feed her. Del waited until she’d swallowed before she started. “I think the Kingsleys hired me to cover their tracks. It’s my belief they are in on whatever is going on in this town, and doing everything that they can to shift the suspicion away from themselves. I promise; I’m going to find the evidence to put everyone who has anything to do with this, away for a very long time. They aren’t going to hurt anyone else if I can help it.”

  Rae had leaned against a dresser that was in the corner. “I’ve seen the proof which leads me to believe that Del is correct, but I can’t figure out why. They have money, why would they do something like this.”

  “I’m not sure they have as much money as they want you to think. I noticed some signs of disrepair around the manor when I pulled up. Minor things like peeling paint and cracked molding. In addition, the son AJ answered the door personally, leading me to believe they don’t have any staff. Raelin, didn’t you say that Arthur Senior was in the wind?” Del asked, feeding a few more spoonful’s of soup to the young woman.

  Nodding her head, Rae went into the bathroom to grab a washcloth, dampen it, and come back out to hand it to Del. “Yeah, he’s been gone for about five years. Isn’t that right Jenny?” The young woman nodded her head. Rae held out her hand for the bowl.

  Jenny let Del wipe her face, feeling a little more refreshed when the blonde finished. “Yeah that sounds about right. You think he took his money with him?

  Del thought for a moment before answering. “I’d say that’s a pretty safe bet, but that doesn’t explain why a whole town would agree to go along with it. What am I missing?” Del’s face creased into a frown as she thought.

  Placing the bowl on the dresser, Rae went over to rub Del’s back. “Okay, let’s think about this from a different perspective. Mr. Kingsley left five years ago. For what reason?”

  Del leaned into the touch, closing her eyes and letting her shoulders loosen up. “I’m not sure why he would want to. He had a wife and kid, presumably a high standing in the pecking order around here. Unless he got into something unpleasant, he wouldn’t have had any reason to take off without warning.”

  Jenny watched the women’s interaction with a knowing eye. They seemed to be lost to the world as they talked. Quirking an eyebrow at Raelin, she called her out on it. “It’s good to see you letting someone in Raelin. It’s about time.”

  Rae blushed. “Yeah well...we’re just in the beginning stages and we’re umm...trying to go slow.”

  “Trying?” Jenny asked, one eyebrow lifted and a sly smirk on her face. “And how’s that working for you?”

  “Umm, I’m going to go clean the kitchen or something,” Del stammered slightly, getting up and leaving the two women alone in the room.

  “I’m sorry Raelin, did I upset her?”

  Rae looked at the retreating woman. “I don’t think so Jenny. This situation is one that neither one of us expected and it is like it has a life of its own and we’re just along for the ride.” Shaking her head, the brunette turned back to her friend and smiled. “Now would you like to take a bath? I know that you will probably feel better once you do, and while you do that, I can change the sheets.”

  Jenny moaned at just the thought of a warm bath and soap, “Yes please.” She tried getting up again but stopped short as she jolted her ribs. “Oh God, I keep forgetting how much moving hurts. What did I do to myself?”

  Rae helped the young woman into the bathroom where, while she kept her eyes averted for Jenny’s modesty sake, helped her undress, and got her into the shower. “Stay in here all you want. I’ll bring you some clean clothes and will be in the bedroom when you are finished so just give me a holler.”

  Jenny could only nod as she relaxed under the hot spray. Closing her eyes. She allowed the water to wash away the sweat from her fever, relishing the clean feeling after days of being sick.

  In no time, Raelin had the sheets changed and the dirty ones in the washer in the utility room. Walking back into the bedroom, she quickly replaced some crystals that she had placed in the room when Jenny first arrived with some new ones and lit a white and turquoise candle.

  Going through one of the drawers in the bedroom, she took out a pair of cotton drawstring pants and a t-shirt. Knocking on the door, she opened it to ask. “How are things going in here?”

  “Wonderfully, but my body hates me. I’m not sure how it’s possible to get so tired after a shower when I’ve done nothing but sleep for days now. I think I need to get out. Do you mind helping me again?” Jenny asked, letting the water rinse the last of the soap she’d used away.

  Placing the clothes on the vanity, Rae picked up a bath sheet and held it open for her friend. “If you will step into it, I’ll help dry you off, brush you hair, and get you ready to go back to bed. I think that I can do something about the pain, now that you’re awake.”

  Raelin carefully patted Jenny dry, allowing the younger woman to handle any sensitive areas and being extra careful of her bruises and ribs. She helped the younger woman into the comfortable pants and shirt she’d picked out and then slowly led Jenny back to the bed, where she finally got her settled. She felt Del’s presence at the door, but kept her attention on Jenny when Del didn’t fully enter the room.

  “Okay, I want you to relax, close your eyes, and go to that place in your mind that you go to when you do your yoga. I’m gonna see if I can help with the soreness in your ribs, and make sure that the fever doesn’t come back. You’ll probably fall asleep so I’ll tell you good night now, and I’ll have breakfast for you in the morning.”

  Jenny smiled up at Raelin. “Thanks Rae, I’m really glad I have you to take care of me. Goodnight, I’ll see you in the morning. Good Night Delaney.”

  Del offered a quiet goodnight of her own and continued to observe from the doorway.

  Closing her eyes, Raelin centered herself and held her hand waist high over Jenny. Taking a deep breath, she opened her third eye and looked down at the body, seeing the cracked ribs, scratches and bruising standing out in a bright red as opposed to the rest of the body which was bathed in shades of blues, greens and lavender. Reaching down, she pulled up some of the power and focused it on the affected areas, watching as it drew together the fractures in the bones while closing the scratches and healing the bruis
es. This took about fifteen minutes and by the time she was finished, Jenny was indeed sound asleep. Offering a prayer, Raelin returned the power to the lines and turned to leave. She turned and was startled to see Del. “I forgot that you were there.”

  Del looked at Rae oddly for a moment before she finally speaks up. “You just used the lines again didn’t you? Or at least I think you did,” she paused, concentrating on how to explain what she’d felt. “There was this, humming, like vibrations all through my body. Like all of the nerves were firing at once. This weird sort of rush.”

  Rae nodded her head. “I just used a little. I have the training to heal; I used enough of the power to speed things up.” She smiled as she took a step closer and ran her finger barely against Del’s bottom lip. “Just like this.”

  Del feels the jolt and the thrumming made its presence known once again. She felt a mild burning where her lip was split as the tissue healed just enough to not be painful or risk reopening. She opened her eyes as she felt the energy recede, leaving a mild tingling sensation at the tips of her fingers.

  “There you go, you’ll be good as new in the morning.” Rae smiled as she headed into the kitchen to get some juice.

  Taking one last look over the room Del pulled the door mostly closed and followed the brunette to the kitchen, mildly distracted by the sway of her hips.

  j

  “I cleaned the kitchen, but I wasn’t sure where everything needed to go back to so I took my best guess.”

  Drinking down the juice, Rae gave it a moment to replenish her strength before she answered. “Thank you. I’m sure that everything will be back in its proper spot in a couple of days.” Putting the glass in the sink, the witch turned to the blonde. “You will stay here from now on, won’t you?”

  The question caught her off guard and she had to take a moment to regain her balance. “Do you want me to?”

  It took all of Rae’s willpower to stay exactly where she stood. “I think that it would be safer for us all to be in one place. Here, we can protect each other if we have to. I would worry too much about you being in town alone.” She held up her hand when the blonde started to say something. “I know that you can take care of yourself, but you can’t against an entire town.”