Chapter Eleven: Famished
Despite the dire threat, his next response was simply to spin on his heel and stomp from the room. The vice closing at her windpipe opened at once, and Rey bent over, coughing and greedily gulping oxygen, only to cough more.
Kylo Ren returned to the hall as the door slid closed, giving her a long look before leaving in a blur of cape. Rey watched him disappear around a bend, and when she was sure he was gone, the growls from her stomach made her rush for the generous serving of lunch without qualm.
Nearly asphyxiating had reestablished her priorities. She couldn't think about the frenzy she'd drawn into her hand, or dwell on the possibility she had wasted a chance to escape. Kylo Ren was right about one thing; she needed to eat.
Her throat burned, but her hunger demanded no quarter. Rey tore into the nondescript protein paste smeared between two thick slices of rehydrated bread and began devouring at a frenetic pace, barely allowing herself time to chew, taking giant bites until her mouth was full to excess. Sitting back against the bed, she paused in her solitary race to process her predicament.
No one knew where she was. Or even that she had survived the attack on Starkiller Base.
Maybe only Finn would care.
But he was long gone, bound for the Outer Rim. He might not know she'd been abducted at all.
Rey squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on the sandwich in her cheeks, pushing aside the swells of loss cresting within. This is what Kylo Ren wants. To make me feel alone and hopeless, she reminded. To cut me off, so I'll betray Skywalker and the Resistance.
She snapped her eyes open. I won't let that happen, she vowed. Ever.
From around a dark-paneled corner, Kylo watched her eat. 'Eat' was an overly-kind description for the hunched mania he was witnessing. His dark eyes skirted over her countenance, flicking from the burnt ends of her hair to her chapped lips. The study was furtive and edacious, unconsciously seeking to memorize each line.
As Kylo heard her thoughts—quiet but clear—he realized she was wrong.
Alone and hopeless was not all he wanted from her. He wanted much more. She had embraced the dark side's beckon so quickly. It had leapt for her. What could they accomplish together? Who could they dethrone and replace?
Snoke would not be pleased.
But only if he found out.