Up in Flames | Spencer Reid x Reader |

Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Relentless Facade

You woke up as a result of the excruciating pain that rippled through your core. You jolted upright and hugged your torso, realizing a moment later that you seemed to be sinking into something impossibly soft. With much hesitation, you removed the cotton fabric wrapped over your face - not before chanting to yourself that your mind was in a bad, bad place.

Your reality of the world was bound to be skewed.

When you finally laid your eyes on your surroundings and found yourself sitting on your bed in your flat, you thanked yourself for the reminder. Eventually, you mustered enough courage to perch yourself onto your feet and study your premise. The first thing you observed was the lack of struggle in the room. It contradicted everything you experienced over the last - well - however many hours.

But what if the attack was merely a fragment of your imagination?

It was easy to convince yourself otherwise considering that you had never lost track of time or memories before. Why would your mind start with that sort of nonsense now?

A comical but daunting detail caught your attention as you paced further into the kitchen. Your cupboards and fridge were stocked up with all your favorite mid-night snacks, wines and meals. That was definitely incomparable to your own apartment – considering you were almost always starving from your laziness to get groceries.

You continued your research by examining the rest of the flat. All your appliances were there but they looked brand new. Your bathroom had your favorite fragrance running on the diffuser. Even your clothes were tucked into the wardrobe but they smelled like fresh laundry - like they had never been worn before. It wasn't until you discovered a new set of black, lacy lingerie in the bottom drawer that you realized what was going on.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Your blood ran cold at the sound of his hoarse voice. You hated how light he was on his feet - or else you would have been able to tell that you had company the entire time. "I wanted you to feel at home, so I got a little creative."

"Creative?" You scoffed, still wary of turning to face your contender. "You copied every ounce of my apartment."

"I suppose you're right. But here, you also have things that you've always wanted but could afford or bring yourself to buy."

You clenched your jaw, glancing at the man through the mirror. "And what exactly do you expect in return for all of this?"

"The same as always, love" he muttered, bringing his broiling face close to your cheek. His meaty hands cupped your shoulders, "You."

Revolted by his touch - and the memory of all that he'd done - you ducked beneath him and trudged away. Finally, you laid eyes on the Devil - the very being that haunted your nights throughout the years. You were a strong and resilient woman. But to be back in his clutches, made you feel helpless once more. You cursed all the Gods you knew the names of for throwing you into hell. "P-Please-" You broke off to clear the thickness in your throat. "You can't make me go through this again. It's cruel!"

"I know. It was." He said, approaching you with gentle and cautious strides. "And I can't ever come to forgive myself for what I did to you and the others. But I want to do right by you. I want to do better."

For the first time, you looked at the skull-faced man with doe-eyes. "What . . . does that mean? Will you let us go?"

"Oh no, love," The male said, brushing your bangs out of your features causing you to wince. "There's no us this time around. It's just you."