Reylo: These Violent Delights

Chapter 7: Coward

WARNING: Physical assault (attacked in retaliation).

—

Since Rey had been taken, all she had done was wait.

For food, refresher privileges, sleep and company. That's what she was waiting for now, her next visitor. Shivering against the interrogation chair in the beige, bulky sack they called a shirt, she was literally freezing her ass off since it only reached her knees. She thought it was a rag when they had first chucked it at her.

"Your new uniform, scavenger slut."

When she had asked for a bra and underwear, the Stormtroopers laughed, insisting that the Supreme Leader decided she didn't need undergarments.

Of course.

Being the big, sick fuck he was, that made sense. What didn't make sense was why the hell Rey was still alive. The Supreme Leader had already stolen intel about D'Qar and the very little information she had on Luke Skywalker. She had nothing else to offer him. At least, that's how she saw it, but Kylo did everything in his power to keep her alive.

Her wounds had healed nicely, thanks to the nurse he periodically sent to her cell, and she was fed well with three meals a day. If she had a request—besides being let out of this atrocious contraption—her needs would be met. Mostly. The only thing he refused to give her was information. She had no idea what had happened to her team and the Resistance when the First Order went to her base, and the sense of helplessness was beginning to wear on her.

So, Rey did what she had to in order to survive. She shut it out. She told herself they were dead, something she assumed would be her own fate every morning when she opened her eyes. But even though he had visited her cell every day for a week, not once had he come close to actually killing her. All he did was harass her about Luke and Exegol and General Organa over and over and over again.

It was like clockwork, and even though she hated watching him waltz through those doors and the way his low, modified voice sent shivers down her spine, Rey had grown accustomed to seeing him daily. It was part of her routine. But it was already mid-day, and she hadn't seen him since yesterday when he unlatched her from her restraints. Followed by her mega-meltdown, which, in hindsight, had been low-key embarrassing. Before that, she was handling this entire taken-by-a-psychopath thing pretty well, but then Kylo called her Kitten, and she truly wanted to end it all right then and there.

Rey knew he called her that to annoy the ever-living shit out of her, leading her to believe that was his motivation for everything he did. Kylo Ren was keeping her alive simply for his own amusement, not unlike a bored sociopath that found a shiny, new plaything. She shuddered. Over the years, she had heard rumors that the Supreme Leader had become less temperamental, but now that she could observe him herself, she wasn't buying it. While he was calm and collected in his efforts to break her down, Rey sensed something simmering just below the surface. She could see it in the way his chest swelled with heavy exhales, his voice full of muted rage as his entire body tensed, as though his power was brimming beneath his skin and waiting to unleash.

Kylo himself didn't scare her all that much, but the risk of being near someone with his type of power put her on edge. He was a huge, imposing lunatic, filled with dark, domineering energy. Unbalanced and emotional. She had never trusted anyone that let themselves feel so much emotion. No. It was too dangerous, and her captor seemed to have a hard time controlling it. Just like yesterday when he had held her wrists so tightly, pulling her body to his, almost sounding passionate when he offered to take her to his quarters. Like he wanted to care for her as a little pet, his kitten.

Rey cringed. He truly was a monster, unhinged and unpredictable, and he was coming for her—she just had no kriffing idea when. But then, speaking of the devil, in came her favorite person. She groaned, wanting to kick her own ass for manifesting his presence. But she couldn't do that. She could barely even move. All she could do was look up at the ceiling to ignore him.

"Hello, Kitten. I've come to have a little chat with you." She started to hum, eliciting his exasperated sigh. "Since you're being stubborn today, I'll cut right to it."

Rey rolled her eyes. "Yay-oh-my-stars-can't-wait."

"I have a proposition for you," he continued, still taking slow steps toward her. "I need access to the deepest part of your psyche. Submit to me and let me in, and you will increase your odds of survival."

Her eyes swung to his mask, her face twisted in confusion. "What in the galaxy would you need deep in my psyche? What does that even mean?"

"That's classified."

"Of course it is." She snorted, blowing a piece of hair off her face. "Okay, fine. Say I let you in my head, or whatever, what's in it for me?"

"I said, the chance of survival."

She pursed her lips. "Eh. Got anything else?"

Kylo hesitated. "No."

"Then nah, I'm good." Rey shrugged. "You can kill me now."

"I would love to kill you now," he uttered, voice strained through his mask as he came to a stop before her. "But I am giving you a rare opportunity, one I have never given a prisoner before. Mercy."

She considered him for a moment. "You wouldn't offer me mercy unless there was something in it for you...so, nah, I'd rather fight and make this harder on you."

Kylo cocked his head to the side. "You understand I will take what I want from you, even without your submission, correct?"

"Mhm."

"And you will be granted mercy if you submit. I might even spare your life, if your mind is still intact after I'm through with you. But fight me, and you will suffer more than you can comprehend. That—you understand?"

"Yup."

He shifted his stance, agitation rolling off him. "So, you would willingly endure extreme physical and mental pain in order to make things minimally more difficult for me?"

Rey flashed him a charming smile. "Absolutely."

"Fine," he said, abruptly unshackling her restraints with a wave of his hand. He spun around, walking away from her. "Let's get started."

With a yelp, her feet touched the ground, and Rey fought to keep herself steady as Kylo approached the exit. "Where are we going? Just kill me in here and be done with it."

"You need to break first," he said, smashing the control panel to open the blast doors. He waited a moment before looking at her from over his shoulder, speaking to her with a tight, controlled voice. "This is your last chance to minimize your suffering, Rey. I advise you to take it."

If she didn't feel so dizzy from the sheer effort of holding her own weight up, Rey would probably be concerned. But all she could focus on was curling her fingers around the edges of the interrogation device, trying to stay upright. "Nah. Mama didn't raise no quitter." She paused before cackling deliriously, her head lolling against the chair. "Actually, mama didn't raise me at all...but I digress."

Kylo gave an impatient jerk of his head, gesturing through the doors. "Enough. Follow me."

Rey narrowed her eyes at him, seriously doubting she'd be able to follow him even if she wanted to. "I need a minute," she said through gritted teeth, "your little pet isn't ready for a walk yet."

Kylo's mask lingered on her face before he pulled out his datapad. She eyed him as he started pacing, taking in how massive he looked, even from across the room. Rey was used to seeing him from the perspective of a few inches higher while she was strapped to the chair, but with her feet on the ground, his broad shoulders seemed to stretch the entire span of the exit. And without his robes that usually spilled behind him like matte black paint, she could see just how tall and wide the motherfucker was.

Rey stiffened, her back peeling off the chair when she realized his missing attire revealed something much more important: his lightsaber clipped to his side. And her vibroblade right under it.

Her heart jumped to her throat, her eyes locking on her knife. His robes had kept the weapons hidden, but now they looked easily accessible, only loosely attached to his sheath. Then, when the shrill ring of his datapad pierced the air and Kylo engaged in a quick back and forth with a First Order officer, Rey wasn't sure he even remembered she was behind him. He was too busy barking at his subordinate.

The Supreme Leader halted, standing unsettlingly still with his back to her, and she knew what she had to do. She cleared her mind as she took timid steps toward him, refusing to map out the plan in her head; she didn't want him to pick up on her thoughts. As though she was on autopilot, she made it across the room and stood right behind him. Slowly, so slowly, she extended her hand toward the knife.

She held her breath. Kylo was still on the phone, his agitation growing as the First Order officer sputtered on the other line, giving Rey her one and only chance. Without thinking, she acted. Adrenaline pounded in her head as her fingers grazed the hilt for one sweet moment. Then the Supreme Leader turned around.

"You little fool," Kylo growled, placing a palm on her chest and shoving her backward. The push sent Rey flying across the room until she came to a blunt halt, her spine crashing into the interrogation chair. She yelled as she made contact with the metal, hard and fast, trying to use the momentum to push off it and attack, but it was too late. Within seconds, he was in front of her again with his hand over her face. "You will suffer greatly for this."

Like a passive observer in her own mind, Rey felt her lips move around the words she did not want to say. "I will suffer greatly for this."

"You will not sleep."

Of course not. "I will not sleep."

He tore his hand away and stepped closer, breaking her trance. His voice was eerily quiet through his mask. "Even when you're about to collapse, even when you can't see straight...I do not grant you permission to succumb to rest." He took two shaky breaths. "Do you understand me, Rey?"

Her mouth went dry, eyes widening. "No."

He grabbed her face. "Yes."

"No!" she screamed, lunging forward and throwing all of her weight into him. He barely moved, even as she smashed his chest with her fists. "Fuck you, fuck you! Just kill me already, you stupid, crazy Jedi!"

In the blink of an eye, Kylo ignited his lightsaber.

Rey stumbled back as he zeroed in on her, forcing her against the chair again. Angry, red sparks of heat buzzed off his weapon, spitting dangerously close to her face. She whimpered, trying to pivot her head as far away from it as possible, but it was useless—he moved the blade in sync with her.

With her head turned to the side, Rey tried to face the man that was about to end her life. But it was nearly impossible to see anything other than the violent glow of his lightsaber, it's cackling and humming almost as deafening as the red was blinding, but she could make out the visor of his mask fixed unwaveringly upon her.

"What are you waiting for?" Rey shouted, staying as still as she could—if she moved an inch, she'd come in contact with his saber. "Huh? Just do it already!"

Kylo twisted the hilt in his hand, rotating the blade so it hovered right below her chin. She closed her eyes and tried to shrink back, but she could already feel the heat from the scorching edge burning her skin. She wanted to yell at him, but she could barely breathe like this, let alone speak. She screamed at him within her mind instead.

Get on with it, you coward! Just kill me already!

The Supreme Leader pulled his lightsaber away from Rey's face and pointed it at the ground. "Get on your knees."

She gawked at him. "Excuse me?"

"I said," he seethed, using his free hand to grip the space where her shoulder and neck met, "get on your knees."

Legs still frail, it only took a single push for him to get Rey on the ground. She hissed as her knees slammed into the floor, trying to scramble to her feet, but his lightsaber was already in her face again. Without lifting her head, she brought her eyes to his mask and snarled. "If you're going to kill me, at least look me in the eye and do it."

Kylo didn't say or do anything. The only sound in the room was his hissing blade and Rey panting as she knelt before him, waiting to die. Her eyes darted between his mask and the hand wrapped around his hilt. He kept flexing and unflexing his fingers, constantly repositioning his grip around his weapon as if he didn't know what to do next.

Knowing full well it would propel her onto death's path quicker, she laughed at him. "The mighty Kylo Ren has no idea how to use a lightsaber. How cute."

With an untamed yell, he swung the blade up, and Rey squeezed her eyes shut. It's okay, it's okay, it'll all be over soon, she chanted to herself over and over, holding her breath as if she were too stubborn to take her last. The sound of fabric rustling made her tense, but just as she thought her life was coming to an end, the humming of his saber stopped.

Rey opened her eyes to see Kylo clipping his weapon back onto his belt. That final breath she had been holding came rushing through her lips, and she fell sideways on her ass. "What...why didn't you...?"

"We're not done yet," he said, keeping his mask pointed at her face. "You will submit to me before I kill you."

"Like fuck I will," Rey shot back, frustrated tears welling in her eyes. She slapped them away and struggled to stand up. "You can't make me give you anything."

"We'll see," is all he said before whipping around and striding toward the blast doors. After they opened for him, he turned to the Stormtroopers and calmly said, "Restrain her. Tightly."

"Yes, sir!"

As the Stormtroopers approached Rey, she scrambled to her feet and backed away, keeping her sights on the back of the Supreme Leader. "The next time you see me, you better kill me, Kylo Ren. Before I kill you."

Her captor stopped, dipping his cold, hard mask over his shoulder toward her. "Sleep well, pet." With that, Kylo walked away, his arms inflated by his side and his hands balled into fists.

The Stormtroopers dragged Rey to the interrogation chair, but she didn't struggle. She didn't have it in her. All she did was hang her head and cry.