Reylo: These Violent Delights

Chapter 58: Don't Be Afraid

"Babe." Rey shifted at the irritant, rousing from sleep. "Baaaaabe, wake up."

She groaned. "Shut up."

There was a quiet chuckle. "There you are. Open your eyes, sleepyhead. I brought something for you to eat."

She didn't move; she couldn't imagine eating anything right now. But she felt a hand wave near her face, filling her nostrils with the scent of muja muffins. It made her stomach turn. She abruptly sat up, turned to the side, and retched into the bucket beside her cot.

After she was done, it took her a few moments to collect herself. She was still in the dress she wore to the cantina, but her knife was gone. Next to her laid a pile of new clothes, her bag, a glass of water, and the now-full bucket of vomit. She heard shuffling in the room and raised her gaze to the man hovering above her. Drox.

He outstretched his hand, smiling apologetically at her. "Here, take these. It will offset the lingering effects of the sedative."

Rey took in her surroundings, stomach dropping when she realized she was in a reinforced military tent with a steel door equipped with bars. So, a prison cell. She frantically looked up at her ex-boyfriend. "Drox, what is going on? Why am I here?"

He sighed and bent down to place the medication beside her. When she inched back from him, he looked wounded and raised his hands. "I'm not going to hurt you, Rey. Please take the pills. They will help with the nausea."

"What is going on?"

"You don't remember?"

"I..." Rey trailed off, closing her eyes as a sharp pain rammed into her skull. She had no choice but to reach for the pills and pop them in her mouth, wracking her brain as to how she got here. She knew she had a conversation with Luke Skywalker, then contacted the First Order and spoke to General Hux...quickly, violently, everything else fell into place. She groaned, putting her head between her legs as the video of Kylo following the prostitutes replayed in her mind, hot tears welling in her eyes as sobs shook her body.

"Hey, don't cry," Drox whispered. She heard leather creasing and fabric shuffling as he squatted in front of her. "We're on Exegol, babe. It's going to be okay. We're together now." When she tilted her face to his, he smiled, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek. "Nothing can stop us from restoring peace to the galaxy, just like we always wanted."

"Do you really think I want to be here with you?" Rey shot back, flinching away from his touch. "Did I punch you a little too hard on Crait, or are you intentionally making an ass out of yourself?"

Drox dropped his hand. A hardness reached his eyes. "Well, you're here, aren't you? You've at least come to your senses and want to take Ren down again."

"You're kidding, right? You think I came here willingly?"

"Well, the 'troopers said you did. They—"

"Right. That's why Hux drugged me and threw me in this cell." A vicious laugh tore from her lips. "Seven hells, Drox. You're dense."

His nostrils flared as anger blazed across his face. Gaze burning into her, he stood up and backed into the center of the room, speaking with a voice void of warmth. "You can't stop what is going to happen, Rey. You're gravely outnumbered, so I suggest joining us. The right side."

Feeling a bit steadier, Rey sat up straight on her cot, wiped the tears from her face, and calmly clasped her hands in her lap. "I hate to break this to you, but it doesn't matter how many people you think are on your side. You're no match for what you're about to face. And Leia would never let you actually kill her son."

"You're right. She wouldn't." He paused, his brows lifting with exaggerated arrogance. "Good thing she's gone."

Silence hung in the air. Rey didn't need him to elaborate what he meant by gone. A hoarse croak tore from her throat. "When?"

He shrugged. "Few months ago. Shortly after you left."

She stayed quiet as she processed this—she had a complicated relationship with Leia, but Rey never expected her to leave this world so suddenly, nor did she want her to pass. But right now, she didn't have the luxury to mourn. She pushed away the pain and nodded. "Okay. Where's Zeven? Is she here?"

He waved an agitated hand. "She and some other noble assholes said our plan was dishonorable, or some stupid shit like that. But that's okay. We don't need them. We have everything we need to kill your beloved Supreme Leader."

Rey laughed. "If Kylo doesn't kill you first, General Hux and the Order will. He told me himself. The moment Hux gets what he needs from you, he is destroying the Resistance."

"You think we don't know that?" Drox asked, squatting down in front of her again. "We're not as dense as you like to believe. As soon as we use them, we have reinforcements waiting in the shadows that will destroy Hux and his entire faction."

Rey found the strength to lean off the side of her bed, getting right in his face. "Right, sure you will. And Luke? Kylo? The Knights of Ren and the rest of the First Order? What about them, huh? Are you just going to overlook the fact that he can kill you without even touching you?"

"Oh, babe," he breathed, giving her a condescending shake of his head. "You seem to forget that we have the crystal."

"You're lying, Drox. I know you are. I spoke with Skywalker only moments before Hux kidnapped me. He said he disposed of it, and I believe him."

"You're right. He did. But he couldn't touch it himself, now could he? Good thing General Organa trusted me with disposing of it."

Rey slowly leaned back, eyes widening. "You kept it for yourself."

"I did. And now, thanks to me, our army has a tool that renders all Force-users powerless. And as soon as we trick them into coming into contact with it, we will be evenly matched."

Face hot, Rey's pulse quickened as she digested his words. Through her panic, an idea seized her by the throat—what if they couldn't identify all Force-users? They couldn't drain her powers if they didn't know she had any, right? And if Luke and Leia were right about her potential, her abilities could turn the tide in Kylo's favor. Trying not to draw attention to her movements, she reached for her bag at the same time she spat out a hot-blooded insult.

"Kylo Ren without access to the Force is still a hundred times more powerful than you," she taunted, giving him a disgusted glower before nodding to the door. "Now, get the fuck away from me. I'm sure it's about time for you to go suck off your new General."

Drox glared at her. Hatred seeped into the lines of his face, distorting the kind features of the man she once loved. "I held out hope that things would work out between us, Rey," he retorted, standing up. He stormed over to the door, slid it open, and threw her a venomous look. "But you're dead to me now."

"Happy to hear that." Rey flipped him off as he held her gaze, but the moment he left, she reached inside her bag to grab the pendant.

She pulled it out by the chain, her body immediately reacting to its proximity. She felt it more now than she ever did, the mere sight of it mesmerizing her as she twirled it in her hands. The longer she stared at it, the more physically impossible it felt to tear her eyes away. But then the door opened again, pulling her attention to the two Stormtroopers waltzing in, and she inconspicuously placed the pendant on her pillow.

Rey slumped down in her cot, muttering to herself. "Today is just not my day, is it?"

They didn't say anything. All they did was stride over to her and hover. She crossed her arms and set her irritated eyes on them. "Can I help you, assholes?" The one on the left kicked her foot. She knew they were trying to hurt her, but she didn't even flinch. She raised a single brow. "Well, that was embarrassing for you."

The pair looked at each other, unmoving for a moment before sharing a nod. Without warning, one of them bent down and smacked Rey across the cheek. Flesh stinging and blood rushing to the site of impact, her mouth opened in surprise as she brought her hand to her face.

She looked up at them and smiled. "Wow. You hit like a little bitch."

With tightly-wound movements, they both started to remove their gloves, sliding them off to fall to the ground. Rey sat up straight, getting ready for whatever they had planned, but nothing could have prepared her for when they took their helmets off. Both of them were female.

"Seriously? What happened to girls supporting girls, huh? I mean, really, it's—"

They lunged at Rey. She was still sluggish from the sedative, but somehow she managed to get on her feet. Truthfully, she got her ass handed to her for the first few moments, but it didn't take long for her to lurch into action. With one behind her, Rey crouched and ran at the blonde in front of her. She secured her against the door and gripped the side of her head, slamming it back. Once, twice, a third time—she wasn't satisfied until her assailant's eyes rolled to the back of her skull, her body going limp against hers.

Right as she was about to let go, the other 'trooper grabbed a fistful of Rey's hair. A guttural groan tore from her throat, her hands flying to her scalp as the other attacker dragged her away from her friend. Keeping a hand around one of her buns, she kicked Rey's spine and forced her down to her knees.

Rey laughed. "Oh, come on, I haven't told you my safe word yet."

"Shut up, just SHUT UP!" She stood behind Rey with wild eyes and a sneer on her lips, forcing her to look at her. "It's time you paid for what you did, you stupid fucking slut!"

Rey rolled her eyes. "Rude."

Pivoting her weight to balance on the tops of her feet, Rey flung her body forward in a somersault. Her quick movements allowed her to break free of her grasp, but just as she jumped to her feet, the bitch closed in to choke her. Rey grabbed her wrist, spinning around so that her back touched the Stormtrooper's chest, and slammed her backward into the door. She yelped and squirmed as Rey kept her pinned against the steel, her hands flailing in her face to scratch her. In response, Rey did what any sane person in her predicament would do. She plopped the woman's thumb in her mouth and tried to bite it off.

She screamed and wailed as Rey dug her teeth into her flesh, not letting go even when her blood filled her mouth. Her jaw hurt as she used all of her strength to crunch down, and she couldn't tell if the pop she heard was her jaw or the bones in the 'trooper's thumb. But she didn't care either way. She kept the pressure and bit down harder, not easing up even when the door screeched open.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" the newcomer yelled as he pulled Rey off. She stumbled back and caught her breath, spitting out a wad of flesh and bloody saliva on the floor. Hux came hurrying in, his face twisting into a horrified expression as he glanced around her tent.

"Hello there." Rey winked, plopping back down on the cot and curling her fist covertly around the pendant. She gestured to the Stormtrooper's thumb on the floor. "Hungry?"

The General looked at the two injured Stormtroopers, then back to her, mortified. "What in the seven fucking hells is going on here?"