Insight

by Jennis Slaughter

  Leaning down to brush her lips against the blonde’s, Raelin murmured, “I’ll tell you anything that you want if you will kiss me right now.”

  “I think I can arrange for that. I’ll even give you this one for free. No bribe needed,” Del chuckled before she caught Raelin in a firm kiss, wrapping her arms around the witch’s neck to hold her close.

  Once more, Raelin’s hands lifted Del’s shirt so that she could let her fingertips glide over silky skin. After her cleansing and while she sat with Del’s head in her lap, the witch had a growing need to feel her detective. It was a craving of sorts.

  “You’re in a mood this afternoon, aren’t you?” Del chuckled breaking their kiss and running her fingers across Raelin’s collarbone. She gasped as talented hands found a sensitive spot on her ribs underneath her shirt. “Where did Rori end up anyways?”

  Leaning down to run her lips over Del’s lovely throat, Raelin murmured. “He headed back to the house about an hour ago while you were sleeping. He figured that he would have more fun watching Kasey and Jenny trying to keeping their hands off each other while Will and Jasper were there.”

  Del laughed at the mental image that conjured up. “I bet you any kind of money; Jenny has turned it into a game and is torturing the hell out of our poor Fed,” she tilted her head, allowing Raelin more access, her own hands starting a slow journey under the witch’s shirt.

  Shaking her head, Raelin didn’t bother answering. She was slowly working her way down the blonde’s body, she wanted to take her time and really explore what clothes covered. Here in this glen, they could be safe from prying eyes if she wished it so.

  “Raelin, I really want to finish this with you, but its broad daylight and someone is bound to come looking for us at some point. We’ve been out here a long time and you said they’ve already started dinner,” the detective protested weakly, not making any effort to halt her lover’s progress.

  The witch stopped what she was doing and took a deep breath. Slowly she pulled away as she closed her eyes, trying to get her own needs under control. Leaning back, Raelin whispered, “You’re right. This is better done when we don’t have a house full of people and an investigation hanging over our head.”

  Shrugging her shirt back in place once more, Del regarded her witch for a moment before she spoke up. “I don’t mean that we can’t be together until this is over. I just would rather be able to enjoy it without worrying about any distractions or interruptions that may come up. Your cat is especially good at knowing the most terrible time to make his presence known.”

  Reaching up, Raelin ran her fingers through golden hair. “I know that Del, we’ll have tonight and I know that you need to eat.”

  As she was about to reply, the detective’s stomach let out a loud gurgle and she grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I guess that answers that. Listen, before we go back, I want you to know that I got a lot of information out of Brito. I can tell you now, or we can wait to talk about it when we’ve gone to bed for the night away from everyone else. It’s up to you.”

  “How bad is it?” The brunette felt the change in her lover’s demeanor, and it frightened her.

  “It’s bad enough. Raelin, it’s not good news, but I warned you it wouldn’t be,” Del murmured, taking Raelin into her arms and kissing her.

  The witch was silent for a few moments before she quietly answered. “You might as well tell me now, because if you don’t, I’ll be worrying about it all night.” Taking a deep breath, she nodded her head. “What did you find out?”

  Del closed her eyes taking a deep breath before she continued. Finally, she leaned back so she could look into Raelin’s eyes and took both the witch’s hands in her own. “Regina Kingsley murdered your mother. She blackmailed Brito with his money laundering and bribed him with twenty grand to cover it up. I’m so sorry.”

  Raelin’s mouth went dry and her eyes hardened. She tried to lick her lips, but she couldn’t dredge up enough moisture. Her hands started to tremble as her breathing quickened. “Regina killed Momma?”

  “She followed Arthur when he went to meet with your mother. The wound caused by the shot proves that it would take a very good shooting eye to make, and Regina had a whole shelf of marksmanship trophies on display in the foyer of the estate. She had the divorce as motive,” Del said slowly, rubbing her hands up and down Raelin’s arms.

  Raelin stepped away from Delaney and balled her hands into fists. Her eyes slowly darkened until they were black as her head lowered and she clenched her jaw. Her hair began started to float up off her shoulders while the hair on her arms stood straight up. The grass that had been waving in the breeze gradually began to flatten around the couple and all sound within the glen disappeared.

  Delaney felt the pull of the lines almost immediately and closed her eyes against the buzzing in her head. She had never felt it so strongly before and it was nearly overwhelming. Her limbs were practically vibrating, and it was an unsettling feeling. She knew she had to talk Raelin down she just wasn’t sure how.

  “No Raelin, you will not let them win like this. We can talk about this, but I need you to calm down a little. I know that is a lot to ask right now, I do, but this isn’t you. Come back to me Darlin’, please.”

  “She killed my mother...she sells young women to Goddess knows where...she deserves to be punished, and I am exactly the person to do it.” The witch’s voice filled the glen, and her body began to glow with the power that she was drawing in. “Why should she get away with all that she has done?”

  “No, she does deserve what’s coming to her, but I’m not going to sit here and let you do something so against everything you believe in. You won’t be able to live with yourself if you do. My Raelin doesn’t work like that. Damn it! Look at me Rae, look me in the eye, and tell me that you want to go the rest of your life with someone’s blood on your hands, no matter how much they might deserve it,” the detective said firmly, despite the fact that she could now feel the energy crackling at her flesh, bordering on pain. It licked at her skin, stinging wherever it made contact and she gasped inwardly at the jolts. She knew if she didn’t get Raelin calmed down, things were going to get far worse before they got better.

  Her voice started to cackle. “How many people has she hurt? How many more is she going to hurt before you stop her? I can stop her right this minute.” Raelin’s eyes began to glow red.

  “Raelin, don’t you understand? You have stopped her already. You were the one that gave us the proof of her involvement. She’s going to be put away, probably for the rest of her life. Why give her the satisfaction of a quick end? Let us put her away so she can rot in jail. You’ve already done more than enough. Don’t let her have you too,” Del pleaded desperately. The discomfort the energy around her was causing was quickly moving up to outright pain and Del had to stifle a groan when she felt the surge of power that matched Raelin’s anger. She felt it run like liquid fire through her limbs and her head started to go fuzzy as she felt the thrumming from the lines in her mind intensify.

  “Regina doesn’t deserve to live, even if it is behind bars. She lost that right when she murdered my mother. She took my mother’s rights away from her; she stole my rights to have my mother and father in my life.” Raelin shook her head. “No...no...she doesn’t get the right to live.” The witch started to move around the detective to exit the glen.

  Del reached out and grabbed Raelin’s arm before she could walk away and whimpered at the pain that shot through her. It flashed, white-hot behind her eyelids and she had to fight to both keep her grip and not collapse to the ground. She gave Raelin’s arm a pull, forcing the witch to look at her.

  “Fine Raelin. If that’s the way you want it, so be it,” Del let her voice go hard, struggling to keep the signs of her pain from showing. “But you’ll have to go through me first. I don’t let people get away with murder.”

  Del stood her ground, letting her body language show Raelin she was serious, even though her heart was breaking
as she said the words. She fought the reflex to let go of Raelin, to let go of the thing that was making her hurt so badly. The pain was intensifying and Del could feel her head getting light, her knees threatening to give out. Her skin felt like it was on fire as the energy surged through her, made worse by her contact with the witch and she knew she wouldn’t be able to fight it off too much longer.

  “Let go of me Delaney. I don’t want to hurt you, but she needs to be stopped.” Raelin tried to rip her arm from the detective’s grasp.

  “No. I’m not going to let you do this unless it’s over my dead body,” Del stated tightening her grip. She tried to hold herself steady but she couldn’t as her knees finally came out from under her and she sunk to ground, still clutching Raelin’s forearm. Stars danced across her vision as she struggled to stay aware enough to keep Raelin from doing something she knew she’d regret. She struggled to get her breath, never once letting her grip on Raelin waiver.

  As Delaney collapsed so did Raelin’s anger and the power rolled off her like a shockwave. “Oh Goddess! What have I done?” She dropped to her knees to take the blonde in her arms, but then shrank back, afraid that she would hurt the blonde further.

  Del immediately felt the power recede and with it the searing pain that had been rolling through her body. Some of the hurt lingered, like where her hand had been touching Raelin’s skin and the thrumming between her eyes was still present, although now a more manageable level. She felt Raelin start reach out to her but then hesitate so she reached a weak hand out to catch at the woman’s shirt, struggling to catch her breath.

  “So how long did that little display cost you?” she breathed.

  “However much it was, I more than deserve it for hurting you. May I hold you please? I can draw away the pain without hurting either one of us.” Tears were silently falling on her cheeks. Raelin was ashamed, as she had hurt the one person that she never wanted to.

  “You never need to ask to hold me,” the blonde replied quietly, using her grip on Raelin’s shirt to give her a gentle tug closer. ”I know why you were upset, frankly I don’t blame you, but things are different now. You don’t need to pull in some magic and take care of things yourself. You have me now and I’ll help you in whatever non-violent way I can.”

  Carefully gathering Delaney into her embrace, Raelin moaned at the residual pain that her lover was feeling and drew it into herself. Closing her eyes, she looked to see exactly what she done to the blonde, and to start crying in earnest. “I am so sorry Delaney...I didn’t mean to hurt you...please forgive me...please.”

  “Raelin, it’s okay. I forgive you; just promise me you’ll have a little better self-control next time.” Del wiped at the tears pouring over sun-kissed cheeks. “Hey now, it’s not that bad. The pain is already gone Raelin, no harm done.”

  “But what happens if I took time away from you too. I may have stolen something from you that I had no right to, and there’s no way that I can give it back to you.”

  “Then it happened and we can’t change it. It’s something I would gladly give if it meant keeping you from doing something you would have regretted the rest of your life. Raelin, we’ve talked about this. Just like you gave up time for me, I’m willing to give time for you. I may not like that you’d be willing to sacrifice yourself like that, and vice versa for you, but the reality is, we would and we have. I guess we both need to come to terms with that. You are not alone anymore Raelin, I know that’s a new thing for you, but you need to accept it. We’re a team now, and you need to let me help you sometimes,” Del said quietly, her own energy finally coming back.

  Leaning over, Raelin kissed the blonde with such reverence. She didn’t know how she had gotten so lucky, but she was glad that she did. “I love you Delaney.”

  The blonde was about to respond when Rori ran into the glen. “What is the Goddess’s name is going on? I felt that all the way at the house. What’s wrong?” He began rubbing against Raelin.

  “I told her what happened to her mother,” Del said quietly, rubbing one hand over the trembling woman’s back, the other still holding Raelin’s head.

  The feline put his front paws on his witch’s shoulder. “What about her mother?”

  Raelin looked at her familiar. “Regina Kingsley killed Momma Rori.”

  The cat slowly turned his head until her was looking into Delaney’s green eyes. “Regina Kingsley killed Momma? You know this to be a fact?”

  “She followed Arthur when he met up with her mother. There is no way a casual hunter could have made a shot like the one that killed Quinlan. I remember seeing marksmanship awards in Regina’s house. She had motive with the divorce and as if that wasn’t enough, Brito admitted that he was blackmailed and paid off to cover it up by Regina herself. I am so sorry Rori,” Del whispered.

  The cat narrowed his eyes and leaned forward until he was nose-to-nose with Delaney. “You tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it as long as that woman gets what she deserves. If you need her watched, consider it done. I’ll get the brigade on it faster than I can eat a filet of salmon.”

  “Keep the brigade on her. We’re planning a mass arrest in the next few days and we want to keep her under close watch. The rest, well you just let me take care of that. I was promised that the Kingsleys were mine on D-day,” Del answered.

  Leaning forward the last few inches, Rori rubbed his head against the blonde’s forehead. “You take care of our witch, and I’ll take care of the brigade. I may be gone for a bit. Tell her not to worry. You’re okay Delaney Delacroix, you’re okay.”

  With a final nuzzle, the cat headed back towards the house, leaving the two women in the glen.

  “You know, I think he may be warming up to me,” the detective chuckled, watching the feline trot back towards the house.

  Raelin tucked her head against Delaney’s shoulder and sighed. “I think so too.” Running her hands over the blonde’s back, the witch was trying to discreetly remove any remaining aches and pain from her lover. “I could have killed you Del. Saying I’m sorry doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

  “Yes, you could have. The important thing is that you didn’t. I’m still here, a little sore maybe, but alive and well. I’m not going to say the thought of you being able to call up that kind of power in the blink of an eye doesn’t scare me because it does just a little. On the other hand, I trust in you, your humanity and I know you would never call it up with the intent to hurt me. I have to,” Del replied, watching her fingers as they played with the collar of Raelin’s shirt.

  Raelin leaned back so that she could look the blonde in her eyes. “Are you sure that you can trust me Delaney? I had just promised you that I wouldn’t pull that stunt, and then I turned around and did it. I don’t know if I would be able to stop if someone hurt you...I would...I would try, but I can’t tell you honestly that I would.”

  “Raelin, you’ve been under a lot of stress lately. I can only imagine that most of that is making all of this worse. All I can ask is that you try. I do trust you Raelin, you just need to trust yourself,” Del replied keeping her gaze locked with the witch’s.

  “Can I ask to be there when you arrest Regina?” The brunette stared back into green eyes.

  “You’d be directly in harm’s way. I’d be too busy trying to keep an eye on you to concentrate on the job,” Del answered, fingers curling around the loose ends of Raelin’s hair as it fell over her shoulder.

  “I’ll stay wherever you tell me to stay, but I need to see that woman in cuffs and in the back of a police car. You have my word that I won’t do anything,” holding up two fingers in a vee, she put one finger on either side of her nose like Elizabeth Montgomery did on ‘Bewitched’ and said. “Witches honor.”

  Del looked at her witch for a few moments before she burst out laughing. “Bewitched? Really?” she asked between chuckles.

  “I promise you on the love that I have for you that I will not use any magic on Regina Kingsley ever.” Leaning forward, Rael
in sealed her vow with a tender kiss.

  “I really need to learn to say no to you someday. I have a feeling it’s going to get me in trouble.” Del smiled, leaning back in for another kiss. “You’ll wait outside until we haul her out. No trying to sneak into the house you hear me?”

  “No sneaking into the house...how are you feeling? Better?” The witch combed her fingers through wheat colored hair.

  “Yeah fine, but I think you might have had something to do with that.” The detective smiled. “Mmm, I love it when you do that,” she murmured, closing her eyes.

  “How about when I do this?” Raelin leaned forward to run her tongue over Delaney’s bottom lip. “Do you like that?”

  “Yes,” Del growled, wrapping her arms around Raelin’s neck.

  Leaning back, the witch pulled her lover atop her, running her hands underneath her shirt, loving the silkiness of her skin. “Do you think that we will be missed if we stay here and make love?”

  Taking in the dark eyes and flushed cheeks of her lover, Del was tempted to say no. “I would love nothing more than to stay here and have my way with you. Unfortunately you and I both know that we’ve been gone a while and someone is going to come looking for us eventually,” Del breathed as Raelin’s fingers continued to dance over her skin.

  “And I’m sure that Jenny is teasing Kasey unmercifully since both Jasper and Will are there.” Sniffing, she smiled. “And they have started up the grill for some steaks. Are you hungry for food then?”

  Del sat up just as her stomach let out an unmistakable gurgle. Smiling sheepishly, she nodded. “I guess I could use some food.”

  Getting to her feet, Raelin held out a hand to the blonde. “Come on, let’s go rescue Kasey.”