Broken (a novella)

9

(A/N: Don't hate me too badly after this chapter is over, okay?)

Kylo entered the book store. He breathed deeply of the smell of old bindings and ink, and smiled at the girl behind the counter. "Hello, beautiful," he said happily, sneaking around the counter to give Rey a kiss.

"Hey, handsome," she replied, returning the pressure of his lips on hers. When they broke apart, her left hand touched the side of Kylo's face. He could feel the cold metal of her wedding ring on his cheek. The ring he had given her. The ring that made her his.

"What do you have going on?" he asked her, grasping her hand and holding it to his cheek. "What does James need done today?"

She sighed and caressed him with her thumb. It felt amazing, and his nerves were on fire. "Inventory," she replied. "It's that time of the year again. We'll be here late tonight."

"I can live with that," he replied, pulling away from her embrace. "I love late nights here."

She blushed. "Me too." The rosy, red color was beautiful on her cheeks.

Later that evening, around midnight, Rey was shelfing a set of science fiction books, when she felt an arm around her waist. Lips moved against her neck, and suddenly she forgot what she was doing. Her shaking hands dropped the book they held, and she turned around to face her husband.

Kylo slammed her back into the bookshelf, holding her hands above her head in the dim light, mouth exploring hers. She pressed her body into his, enjoying the feel of him: raw power, all male. It took her breath away. She moaned in pleasure, exciting him further. Her nails raked his back, under his shirt, no doubt leaving scratches, but he seemed to like it. He growled masculinely and lifted her shirt over her head. His lips grazed her collar bone, moving lower and lower. She made a noise deep in her throat.

"I love you, Mrs. Solo," he growled.

Rey awoke gasping for breath.

Her hands were still tied behind her, wrapped around the pole. Her stomach heaved from the racing of her heart and her accelerated breathing. The dream had been real. So real, in fact, that her heart ached for Kylo.

"Kid, you okay?" Han asked from across from her.

She nodded. "It was a...dream." She hung her head, face burning with embarrassment, though she doubted he could tell through the layer of grime covering her cheeks and the loose strands of hair that fell around her face. "A dream about Ben."

"He won't give up on us," Han encouraged her. "My son is resourceful. He'll find us if it's the last thing he does."

"What's this you're blabbing about?" asked Hux, emerging from a shadow.

Rey swallowed in fear and forced herself to glare at him defiantly. "Go to hell, Hux," she growled.

"Come on, princess. I brought water," he replied. "I bet you're hungry and thirsty." He did indeed carry a water bottle and something nasty-looking, enclosed in a piece of Tupperware. Sadistically, he set it down midway between Han and Rey and backed away, crossing his arms as he did so. "The only problem," he explained, "is that only one of you gets to eat and drink. There will be no sharing. Which of you will it be?"

Han's eyes met Rey's. "You need to take it," he ordered her. "You're in much worse shape than I am. If you don't keep your immune system strong, that gash on your ribs will get infected and you'll get blood poisoning. I can live without it, kid. You can't."

Rey smiled a tiny bit. "Have you seen the state of your face, Han?"

Today, Han's wounds had begun to heal, but one of his eyes was almost swollen shut, and it was puffy and blue-yellow with bruising. His face was covered in dried blood, and his bottom lip was so swollen that it jutted out past his upper lip. He had to be in excruciating pain.