"If there's a single thing you take away from my training," Luke says, and Rey nods along, wide-eyed and captivated. "It's that you must never allow yourself to be bitten."
"Why not?"
"It's a wonder that you seem to be impervious to their thrall, but it's not a flawless defense. When a vampire bites a human, their ability to enthrall prey intensifies radically. Once a victim's blood is in their system, they have absolute power over them, and, because of that, if you've been bitten..."
"Then I'm probably dead, anyway," Rey responds. It makes sense, in a way. It's an easy method of subduing one's prey, to gain control and prevent it from squirming or escaping, but it's also terrifying to consider.
Are the humans ever aware of their eminent demise, trapped in their own minds as their bodies and actions betray them to the apex predator before them?
"It's similar for vampires turning humans into their own," he continues. "Human blood is absorbed into vampiric cells, serving as fuel, and when those cells are introduced to an entire body flowing with blood, they infect and overtake it. Blood is an intrinsic part of vampirism, and the bond between sire and newborn is strong because of this exchange as well as the thrall."
This is, undoubtedly, the most significant lesson has Luke taught her.
Rey leaves feeling humbled by her mentor's vast array of knowledge, and her mind runs the mantra on repeat: Do not get bitten.
She doesn't quite pass out as Kylo carries her through the winding halls of the First Order base, but it's a close call. The haze that settled over her mind the moment his teeth had pierced the flesh of her neck has yet to fade, and Rey doesn't have to try very hard to fake unconsciousness in his arms.
As he holds her, she can feel how tense he is through the bunched muscles of his arms looping around her shoulders and knees. They pass a multitude of vampires but his ranking as Kylo Ren must be high enough that nobody actually stops him.
With her eyes closed and her body relaxed, Rey lets her mind drift until Kylo shifts her weight around and she hears a soft click. She realizes belatedly that he's opening a door, and she forces herself to pay attention as she's carefully placed on some kind of soft surface.
"You can open your eyes now," he says quietly, and despite the lethargy Rey feels, she finds herself complying to the words. The first thing she sees is Kylo above her, curls falling around his face and his eyes still looking a bit too panicked for her tastes. He does seem pleased at her obedience, though, and she wants to shoot him a deprecating smile even though she knows that's impossible.
So this is what Luke had meant when he mentioned absolute power. Kylo doesn't even seem to notice what he's done, but Rey feels as though she must obey anything he asks of her. The compulsion is almost itchy across her skin, and it's sobering to realize that her previous musings were correct. Her mind is coherent, albeit a bit muddled, and should she be commanded to do something unsavory, she knows her body would comply without hesitation.
"Rey? How are you feeling?"
If she makes it out of here alive, she'll have to tell Luke that the thrall works not only for direct commands, but also any request spoken by the vampire in power, because without even thinking about it, she's saying, "Everything's a bit blurred. I'm comfortable, but still... scared. Of you."
It's much more honesty than she'd be willing to express under normal circumstances, but her words are barely her own, right now.
Rey sees the exact moment he realizes it.
"Fuck," he says, almost choking on the word. "You knew this would happen, why didn't you say anything – "
"You should have known, too," she replies lightly, and damn, the haze clouding her thoughts feels good when she's obeying him. It's a heady sensation, and a dangerous one. "And there was no other choice unless you killed me."
It's interesting to watch how he flinches at the words. How long ago had he been steeling himself to end her life, only to be so horrified with the idea now?
Kylo's eyes snap to hers, and Rey realizes that she's been laughing aloud at her own thoughts.
"Okay," he mutters, more to himself than her. "No commands, that's – that's fine."
She watches him, noting that she's lying on what looks like a makeshift bed. He hasn't told her to move, or anything, so she stays there idly as he regains his composure.
"I'm – sorry. It was the only thing I could think to do to rescue you, and in my haste I did not consider these ramifications," Kylo says haltingly.
"I trusted you to make the right decision," she says, which is obnoxiously true. Rey had wanted to kill him for betraying her, but her conversation with Snoke – even thinking his name sends a jolt of disgust through her – had made her realize that they'd played perfectly into his hands. Snoke wanted her to hate Kylo, wanted that hatred to create a dynamic between them that was so vitriolic that he'd have no choice but to end her life, and in doing so would seal his commitment to the First Order and his sire.
She must be speaking aloud unintentionally, because Kylo's face grows darker the more her thoughts progress. His fists are clenched tightly, and Rey imagines that his nails would draw blood, if they could.
"We will never allow him to manipulate us like that again," he swears, and she makes a small noise of agreement.
Rey wishes he would touch her again, because she had felt safe and inexplicably warm in his arms, and now she can feel a cold chill settling in her bones. The blood loss, maybe?
"Will you... come here?" she asks, quietly. Her limbs are sprawled haphazardly over the bed, but she thinks that if he agreed verbally then she could probably muster up enough energy to move them and help him settle down beside her.
But Kylo only looks stricken by her words, and she watches as one of his hands shoots toward his mouth and he responds only by darting quickly out of the room.
When it becomes clear that he has no intention of returning any time soon, Rey sighs resignedly and lets sleep overtake her exhausted frame.
"Rey," a voice says, and it prods at her tired mind uncomfortably. With an annoyed grunt, she turns away from the noise, intent on ignoring it and returning to sleep.
It's a persistent voice, though, and another, more firmer calling of her name has her eyes opening to pin a glare on whoever is speaking.
Oh.
"Do you feel okay?" Kylo asks, looking a bit more hesitant at their close proximity now that she's fully roused. Rey pointedly averts her gaze from his lips, which are parted just enough for her to see fangs peeking out.
A few words come to mind: malnourished, exhausted. She's pleased when neither of those thoughts actually pass her lips. Back in full control, then. "As good as I'll ever be in this place."
"That's good." He pulls away from the bed – it must be his, she thinks, eyeballing the dark bruises under his eyes that make him look convincingly human. "We don't have much time, so I'll explain the situation fast."
"What's going on?" She didn't think time was such a crucial factor, but she forces herself up and into a sitting position.
"There's a lull in my bond with Snoke, which means he's likely unconscious for the time being. I think I can sneak you out of here before he's up again."
"What about you?" She says the words almost too quickly, but Kylo pushes on.
"Don't worry about that."
"I'm not leaving without you," Rey says. She can recognize his tells far too easily to miss that he's hiding something. "And what if he isn't sleeping? It could be another trap. He has to have known that you didn't kill me, so shouldn't he be suspicious of you?"
"Actually," Kylo responds with a wince. "He thinks I turned you."
"What?"
The explanation is hasty. "It's why I bit you – a full meal makes our cells more potent to ease the transformation of a fledgling, and with you being unconscious it looked like you were just about to begin changing."
Everything clicks into place. "So that's what he meant when he said you had options," she muses.
"Yeah. We've been given a grace period to account for your transformation, and that's why we need to get you out of here quickly."
"You're coming with me." It's one thing she refuses to budge on. She'd placed her full trust in him the moment he had bitten her, and she's not about to leave him behind, now. They're in this together.
It hits Rey, then, that she hasn't thought a single time about how horrible it is to have to work with him. Just a few months ago, she was resistant to the idea, throwing insults and jabs to get him out of her hair, but now they're seamlessly working in tandem to undermine the First Order.
Their situation must be dire, if they're beyond screwing around for the sake of irritating one another.
"We should have a contingency plan."
Kylo looks at her as though she's insane, as though his idea is flawless and the fact that she's contesting it is utterly ridiculous. It brings about an itch of annoyance, and maybe their previous dynamic isn't completely forgotten...
"Look, the Elder's obviously overconfident. He's been one step ahead of us this whole time, and while I think that us getting out of here without conflict is definitely the best idea, we could be intercepted."
Rey knows she's right, and she also knows that Kylo's bothered by it.
His lips twist into a grimace as hers fall into a self-satisfied grin. "I cannot directly disobey my own sire, which includes attempting to kill him. But you – "
"I have no restrictions," she interrupts. "I can end his life for you."
"You can't, either," Kylo says shortly. "He'll overpower you in an instant, thrall or not."
"Then where are you going with this?" Her words are clipped, irritated. Is there even a point if this is a suicide mission?
"Your blood has made me stronger," he says, though to Rey it looks as though the words are painful for him to speak aloud. "I'm not positive there is a way to kill an Elder, but it's possible that I can craft a spell that will briefly interrupt the bond we have."
"Will that work?"
"I'm not sure." The confession is hesitant, and Rey rubs a hand over her face as she considers their possible courses of action.
"Do you think you could find me a weapon? I'll be much more useful if I can fight, and that increases the odds that we could actually hurt him."
"You will lose if you fight him," Kylo says confidently, and she tries not to let it upset her too much.
"We stand a better chance if both of us are prepared for combat," she says. "Go find me some silver, and then do what you need to for the spell."
Taken aback by the her command, Kylo actually listens. He mutters, "I'll be back soon. Prepare yourself," before leaving, and once she's alone, Rey exhales loudly.
Truth be told, she's not feeling well enough to possibly engage one of the most powerful vamps she's ever met in battle, but it's not like they have a choice.
Underneath the emotional exhaustion is the fact that she's been fairly starved for at least a few days, and Rey still isn't entirely sure how long she's been held prisoner. They're not ideal circumstances to fight under, and Kylo has to be aware of how heavily the odds are stacked against them.
Regardless, she should prepare for what's to come, and the first order of business is to strip off her tattered, dirty clothing. It's disconcerting how similar to a bedroom this room looks, but Rey noses around long enough to find a closet with what looks like Kylo's clothing hung inside.
It comes as no surprise that his wardrobe is made up of entirely black clothing, but she manages to find a soft long-sleeved shirt that she won't swim in. She has to shove the sleeves up to her elbows to make it a workable piece of attire, but it'll do. It takes a little more digging around to uncover a pair of sweats with an adjustable drawstring – there is absolutely no way she would fit into any of his pants – and she eagerly tugs them on over her hips and rolls the bottoms up enough to reveal her feet.
It's fairly hilarious to imagine Kylo in them, though. D'Qar's most terrifying vampire, wearing sweatpants. A giggle bubbles in her throat at the thought.
Maybe it's a superficial comfort, but she feels leagues better once she's in clean clothing. It certainly has nothing to do with the lingering scent of the vampire who owns the clothing.
He doesn't take long to return, true to his word, and in his hands is something wrapped in cloth along with a few miscellaneous items that are likely mage Tokens.
"This was the best I could find," he says, offering her the fabric.
Rey takes it and slowly unwraps it, pleased to see one of her more balanced, well-made daggers hidden within the folds of cloth. It's not much, but already she feels better with the comforting weight of a silver weapon in her hands, and she offers a genuine, "Thank you."
"I can cast a spell that will temporarily stifle your exhaustion," Kylo says, fiddling idly with the Tokens in his hands. "But it won't last long and when you come down it'll be... rough."
Rey knows the spell. It's one that Luke had actually used on her before, during one of their longer hunts, and it leaves a person feeling more wrung out than they were when they first needed the incantation, but desperate times call for desperate measures...
"Yeah," she says. "It's a good idea. I'll deal with the fallout later." If we even make it out of here, she thinks, but manages to refrain from saying out loud.
Wasting no time, Kylo speaks the proper words, and the magic quickly settles over Rey.
It's like a shot of adrenaline, coursing through her veins and making her body forget about all of her aches and pains. She feels almost giddy with the energy, and a grin unfurls across her features.
"I'm ready," she says through the smile, moving to pick up the dagger Kylo had retrieved for her, and he nods in agreement.
The halls are silent as they slip out of Kylo's quarters, and Rey wonders what time it is. Sometime during the day, she figures, but that will only create problems when they finally make it out and she has to travel with Kylo. Perhaps he's done that on purpose?
Rey frowns, opening her mouth to question him, but Kylo turns and shoots her a glare.
Fine, she'll keep quiet.
The hallways look identical to her, but her partner has no problem navigating the winding pathways. It's certainly a more sophisticated location than the one they'd raided on their hunt for Hux, although the walls and floors are such a stark white that it feels almost clinical.
Kylo's spell has her feeling hyper-alert, and her ears don't register another sound outside of their quiet footsteps as they move. Everyone in the compound must be unconscious or otherwise preoccupied, and maybe they'll actually make it out of here without a hitch, after all.
"I must admit that this is rather disappointing."
Kylo stiffens immediately at the words, but holds his ground. "Snoke."
Rey knew things were going too well. She quickly withdraws her blade and turns on her heel to face the Elder.
"I had hoped the chance of this happening was too minimal to come to fruition," the vampire says, and Rey can hear the low growl building in Kylo's throat.
"What, that we would see through your manipulation?" The words come out confidently, and she forces herself to build on that confidence to prepare for the inevitable fight.
The Elder scoffs. "All you've done is set back my goals. Nothing that can't be undone."
She can feel the anger building deep in her breast, but it's offset by the urgent pressing of something into her hand. He's passing her his Tokens, and once her fingers wrap around the trinkets a lance of fear shoots through her. Why is he giving them to her? She doesn't know the incantations to summon the spells –
"Kylo," Snoke drawls, and it's chilling how nonchalant he sounds about this all. "Kill her."
Rey's stomach drops.
I cannot directly disobey my own sire, Kylo's words echo in her mind, just as he turns to face her with dull, emotionless eyes.
"Fuck," she bites out, instinctively dodging his lunge as she shoves the Tokens in her pocket. Rey doesn't want to hurt him, but she knows that's what Snoke's expecting. Her mind races – maybe she can subdue him without causing too much damage?
She doesn't think quickly enough. Kylo catches her by the shoulder, grip hard enough to bruise, and dragging her dagger up to catch his hand as it comes up to clamp around her throat is the only thing Rey can think of.
He hisses as the silver slices into his flesh, recoiling just long enough for Rey to squirm her way out of his grasp.
Shooting a quick glance at Snoke to evaluate how much danger she's in, it's clear that he has no intention of joining the fray. He doesn't want to soil his hands with a pathetic human girl, would rather have his offspring do the dirty work, and it sends her into a fury.
Kylo is forced onto the defensive as she charges him. It's a messy tackle, but does the job, and they both slam onto the ground, hard, as her momentum topples them over.
"The spell," she grits out, bearing down on him, and this close, she can see a spark in his dead eyes at her words.
It vanishes almost as quickly as it appears, though, and before she knows it, Kylo flips them so that she's the one pressed against the cold ground. He's quick to disarm her, smashing the flat of his hand down over her forearm.
The scream wrenched from her throat is raw as she hears the loud crack of her bones shattering under the pressure, and her dagger slips out of her now-useless fingers.
There's no time to stop and evaluate the injury, though, and she grits her teeth violently against the pain.
It's almost a blessing that a shard of bone manages to penetrate her skin, because the sharp scent of blood fills the air and she's hit with a sudden wave of nausea as the pain penetrates the feeling of invulnerability that Kylo's spell had given her.
Kylo and Snoke are not unaffected by the scent of her blood as it flows freely down the length of her arm, and this is the best chance they have.
"Now!" she yells, half-expecting a complete lack of response from Kylo, but she watches from beneath him as his head snaps up and he hoarsely shouts a few unintelligible words.
Magic resonates between them as the incantation activates the spell, and Rey puts all of her faith into Kylo's theory.
It doesn't work.
She can tell instantly by the loud, disgusting laugh that echoes around the hall, and her head whips around to confirm that Snoke is clearly unaffected by Kylo's magic.
"Did you really think parlor tricks would work on me?" Everything about him is ugly. His voice, his schemes, his existence, and Rey watches Kylo looks down at her, eyes wide with an expression of fear that looks shocking on his features, and she knows this is it.
They're going to die here.
No.
The only way Kylo will be free of Snoke's commands is if the Elder dies, and they only stand a chance if they strike at him together.
"Kylo," the vampire says, again, and Rey shoves Kylo aside and launches to her feet, hell-bent on interrupting Snoke before he can order his progeny to kill her again.
Her arm aches something fierce, but there's no time to consider something like pain. It maybe isn't the best tactic to slam a hand over his mouth and force him to halt his words, but she has to do something, and if sacrificing her only available hand as Snoke bites harshly down into her flesh, then at least she's tried her best.
Her hand recoils from the bite, a sizeable chunk now missing, and if she thought Snoke was bloodthirsty at the scent of her blood, then he's positively rabid at its taste.
"Little girl," he says, eyes wild, and Rey takes a step back before she can consciously register her body's reaction. This is an apex predator, and the sudden, absolute certainty of her death hits her hard enough to still her completely. "I am going to enjoy tearing you apart."
He stalks forward, each step deliberate, and she's frozen like a terrified deer as he slides a hand around her throat. Snoke's grip around her neck is like a vice, forcing her breath to stutter in her lungs, and black spots rapidly cloud her vision.
It's not the worst way to go, all things considered. They put in a fair effort.
The spots become more prevalent the longer Rey goes without air, but at least they... tried...
The impact of her body as it hits the floor hurts like a bitch, but she's too grateful that air is flooding her lungs to consider how every fiber of her being acutely hurts. She gasps for it greedily, interrupted only by a hacking fit of coughs.
When the desperate need for oxygen subsides, she takes a look around. Vampire ash coats her, and above her, Kylo stands, motionless, her dagger still clutched in one hand. He must have stabbed Snoke from behind during his preoccupation with murdering Rey, and holy shit, they did it. Kylo's flesh burns around the silver hilt of the weapon, loud in the now-silent hall, and Rey stares at him in awe.
"Snoke's dead," Kylo says as the dagger falls to the ground loudly, and even through the agony of her wounds making themselves known she can hear the incredulity in his voice. He believes it about as much as she does. "We killed him."
"It's over?" she manages to choke out. The nausea is hitting her full-force now, and she isn't sure that she can even stand on her own.
"Yeah," he affirms, moving to scoop her up off the floor. "Come on, I've got you."
He carries her out of the First Order stronghold, and Rey's reminded of when she had done the same for him, so long ago.
