I want you so bad that I'll go back on the things I believe

There I just said it, I'm scared you'll forget about me

Steady my breathing, silently screaming

I have to have you now

Chapter 2

Edge of Desire

Leather squealing against leather echoed off the walls of Kylo's private quarters. His gloved hands curled into fists as he sat, staring into a small crack in the wall.

What was happening to him? Why did he find it all too easy to speak so freely to her; to be so full of candor suddenly? The deity never found time to discuss his thoughts or feelings with anyone; sometimes not even himself. Human feelings didn't find him very often. Anger, hatred, irritation, contentment, the occasional excitement when he completes his training course faster than normal or when he dips into fresh ink in his calligraphy set were as far as his emotional range could stretch.. But with her..with this random, normal orphan from a desert village on the edge of the world..he felt everything.

No, not normal. And certainly not random.

He went over in his head the words of the old hag he saw in Rey's mind. He couldn't believe a mage would show itself like that. What could it have been thinking? It obviously knew Rey possessed great power, but was she truly destined to be here? To be taken to his realm? Was their meeting preordained millenia ago? He let out a breath of air in a sarcastic huff. No. Destiny was for the meak; for the humans too terrified at the thought of having a life with no real meaning.

Mages were all but extinct, or so he thought. All of Olympus saw to the mages' downfall. With a few hundred too many premonitions of mere humans marrying or casting down Gods..they had to put a stop to that. Kylo rolled his dark eyes.

He tried to push down deep the thoughts that kept attempting to creep into his mind. Like the thoughts of how she smelled intoxicatingly of fresh flowers and soap, the way her breath hitched ever so often, how her thigh had felt under his hand. Those were feelings that were the most strange to him. Had he ever felt that way about a woman? The Lord of the Damned found very little time to fawn over any female both living or dead or both. The handmaidens of the Styx river would cry out to him every time they sensed his presence. Their hands would attempt to run freely over him, before he would swat them away like insects. He felt nothing then. Nothing like what he feels at the mere thought of her. Those pety desires could never be acted upon. He had acted so childishly on Earth; sentencing her to a life of seclusion in his foggy dark world. But he couldn't deny the calling; the actual electricity that flowed into him in her presence couldn't be ignored. At least those instincts he felt then had been correct, her abilities were definitely something he could not ignore. She would be the perfect pupil; the perfect ruler; the perfect partner. The visions that followed the thought of her as a partner made his heart race; it's beating deafening his hearing. He quickly stood, steadying himself.

Kylo felt his presence before the Dvasia had a chance to knock, "What is it?"

Hux's voice answered him through the cracks in the door, "I was just bringing you today's reports, Supreme Leader."

Kylo sighed, damn, he forgot about that. With a lazy turn of the wrist, the God opened the door without touching it.

Hux stepped over the threshold, back straight, arms full of paperwork, "It was quite slow today, there are only a few appeals I knew you would like to look over personally."

"Hm."

Hux set the white parchments down on the large wooden desk to Kylo's left. He didn't look up as he added, "You know..you catch far more flies with honey than with vinegar."

Kylo turned, annoyed, "I tried."

Hux let out a real laugh, one he hadn't heard in a long time.

"Alpha filled me in on your little date. And for some reason several Virejases already knew as well."

Kylo turned fully now to face his prying assistant, of course the Virejases already knew of his and the girl's little chat. The small chefs were close by in the kitchens, he had felt the presence of their prying ears attempting to listen in.

"And what exactly were you told?"

"Only that you seemed to anger our pretty little guest. So much so that she's eating her dinner in her room. How did she manage that? Hm? Did she just leave, tray of delicacies in hand?" Hux could barely get through his sentences without cackling. His laughter burst forth at the end of his rant. He was getting far too comfortable. A day on the throne softened his fear for his real master.

Kylo closed the distance between them quickly and stuck a leather finger in his face, "You'll do well to remember how you should be speaking to me."

Hux's realization set in as his face twisted back into his meak mask. He stammered, "Y-Yes. I apologize. I was only trying to lighten the mood."

Kylo slowly retracted his finger before continuing, "I have to make sure she's fed. I won't have any chance of teaching her if she dies of starvation first."

He remembered arriving at her door later that night, silver tray in hand. He could still hear her soft breathing as she slept. With every cell in his being screaming for his bones to move, he couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to go inside. He opted for one of the Virejases to deliver her dinner. They small and quiet enough to get the job done without disturbing her.

"So it is true, you're attempting to take her in as your student."

"Yes. And It wasn't meant to be a secret."

"Supreme Leader, if I may..you should really heed what I said before."

"I'm fresh out of honey."

Hux ignored his master's sarcasm, "She doesn't know you. She certainly doesn't trust you. You can't ask so much so soon. You overwhelmed her."

The dark lord's interest was raised as he nodded for his loyal aide to continue.

Hux gulped, "You must prove you are someone worth following. She'll never agree if she doesn't respect or trust you. And the same goes for you. You can't trust her right now. If she had agreed, it would've been in an attempt to one day dethrone or betray you, not to truly learn from you."

"How do I do that? How do I get her to trust me?"

"Have you ever courted a woman before, Sir?"

….

Rey demolished the tray of food. She hated herself afterwords, but damn was it delicious. She couldn't stop herself once she slid the first cut of meat into her mouth. She was ravenous.

There was no way of knowing just how long she had slept. There was no sun here; no darkness; just a dim glow of light behind thick clouds in a muggy gray sky. She found herself in the bath again, enjoying the comforts for as long as she could. There were never tubs like this in Jakku. She was used to a dirt-ringed ceramic tomb full of murky brown water. This..this was something she could get used to.

Dark eyes slipped into her mind's eye as she laid her head back against the side of the black tub. Her heart quickened as her neck snapped up at the mere thought of him. He was so...ridiculous. How could he expect her to just do what he asked? She hated the way her mind created scenarios in which she would say yes to being his student. Scenarios where she spent her days learning, training, growing more powerful by the day. Scenarios that always ended in her running fingers through his dark hair..Scenarios ending in his hand starting fires on her skin as it trailed up her thigh again.

She physically shook the thoughts from her. Blood rushed to her cheeks. Why was she feeling like this? What was that current that swept through her when he was near? Whatever it was..he felt it too.

She splashed warm water from the bath on her face as she pondered him feeling those literal sparks in his bones around her as she did with him. He had to have been lying..He must of saw it in her mind and played it off as if he felt it himself; to gain her trust, maybe. Small shivers ran up her back as the hairs on her arms and neck rose. Now even the very thought of him was giving her these feelings. It was odd, the more she thought about it. It was as if she sensed his presence. As if just being a few yards away was more than enough to send her body into bursts of warning. That's it..a warning. Her body held abilities she had yet to understand. Those abilities deep inside knew what he was the moment she laid eyes on him, and they were begging her to run. If that were the case..what could explain the other part? The other half of her soul that longed for him in the strangest of ways. That part wanted to sit with him in that far-too-large room for hours. It wanted to hear that velvet voice explain all the ends and outs of the universe. That part was heightened at his touch.

Rey buried her face in her wet hands, droplets falling from her almost dried hair, "I hate this."

What were her options now? What were they really? They were very slim. She could accept his mentorship; learn about who she was, about what her abilities really truly were. She could try to escape, but she had no idea what the world outside the frosted glass. She tried that morning, but saw nothing but a foggy glow. She could refuse him. She could keep on with what she told him the night before and that story would end with her dying here alone in this cell of a room.

"I'm asking you to become more than that. Much more."

The deep silken voice echoed in her head. Was he telling the truth? If that truly was the case..then maybe..

"And then, you can help me find and destroy Zeus."

He had spoken of the Gods' days all being numbered. But why? Why did he care? From what she had heard and read of the feared Kylo Ren, he didn't care about anything.

Revenge maybe? Did this Lord of the Underworld really care about such a..such a human resolve? He seemed more human than most the night before when he practically begged her to join him. She saw expressions on his face she had once thought God's never showed or even could show.

But in the end..did she care? Did she really care about the rivalry between two Gods? Why the hell would she help him take down the most powerful one who'd ever lived?

Her thoughts were swimming around too much. She felt herself growing dizzy from the steam, so she stepped out and towelled off. After finishing her time in the refresher, she exited, currents flowing through her arms. Her body had been definitely trying to tell her something as she soaked, thinking of her capturer. And she had ignored its real warning.

As she pushed the dark wooden door open, clenching the towel close to her chest, she searched for her clothing she had laid out on the bed. She refused to wear whatever her wardens had made for her. She wasn't giving in just yet.

But she couldn't move. Her breathing stopped as the thuds of her heart rang loud in her ears. There, across the room, looking out the frosted glass of the large window, stood her own personal demon.

Kylo stood with his back to her, gazing at nothing. His hands were formally clasped behind his back. He had felt her presence finally enter the room, for he acknowledged her with a subtle turn of his head.

"Get dressed. If you want, I can show you what's beyond this room."

Rey couldn't speak. She stood there, mouth fully agape. He turned more, looking off to his right, careful not to look at her, "I'll wait for you in the hall."

Hot blood flooded to her face and neck, "W-Why..Could you not have just waited in the first place?!"

He turned his body some, if his head moved an inch more to the right, he'd see her, "I did."

The matter-of-fact tone in his voice replaced her embarrassment with fury, "I meant outside! You could've waited until I was clothed or at least in the room before barging in here!"

"I had no way of knowing before I came in."

"It's called knocking! Do they not teach manners here?! Even desert people know not to just come in to someone's room!"

She saw something quickly twitch across his face. A hint of a smile maybe? His full lips had turned up for only a moment, before immediately locking back into a straight line. He turned, completely now, eyes still not meeting her. He took four long strides towards the door. Her eyes noticed her bed as she watched him exit, her clothes were gone.

"Hey, wait! Where are my clothes?"

He kept his back to her as he faced the door to the hall, "We got rid of them. You're not a desert orphan anymore, so you shouldn't dress like one."

She took a step forward, tightening her grip on the towel, she opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to the punch, "You're my guest. Let me treat you as such."

Her shoulders dropped slightly as her fury turned to confusion. Was this his way of being nice?

"Yes." He answered her unspoken question.

She took a deep breath as to not let herself scream back at him in retort. If anything, she should learn how to keep him out of her mind.

"I told you I could teach you how. I'll be right outside, come out when you're ready." His giant gloved hand flicked a command for the door to open.

….

The seconds following the slam of the chamber door behind him were full of heavy breaths and hushed curses. He could almost feel his face burning red. He hadn't expected that. Who was he trying to prove otherwise? He knew exactly what was going to happen when she exited the refresher. He had heard the splashes of water the moment her entered. He planned on immediately exiting at first, before being frozen at the sudden rush of emotion coming from beyond the refresher door. He could feel her mulling over the different options, the different outcomes. She was unfortunately for him, doing it again; absentmindedly not allowing him to access her every thought. Yet he could still feel her. He felt her emotions, her pondering, her irritation. Then suddenly, his own face entered his mind. The memory wasn't his own, for it was certainly not the God he saw in the mirror. It was her. It was how she saw him. His own face seemed..softer. The hardened exterior he usually saw was cracking. He seemed almost human. The great Kylo Ren, Lord of the Damned, now cared what a human girl thought of him; he cared enough to stand perfectly still and silent in the hopes of catching the slightest hints of what floated around in her mind. So he waited, searching her feelings for answers; hoping she'd slip up and let him in.

….

The cool air of the empty bed chamber finally registered with the nerves on her skin. Small chill bumps began to form on her arms as she shivered slightly beneath the thick white towel. How dare he steal her things? Who did he think he was? She sighed as she subconsciously answered her own question. He was so obviously used to getting what he wanted. As she padded towards the neatly folded piles on the table before the bed, another cool draft of air crept up her legs. Cold turned to blazing hot heat as she remembered how she had looked during their spat. He almost saw..

She pressed the back of her hand against her face in an attempt to cool down. He could have so easily seen her; seen almost all of her. He could have done whatever he wanted. He was a God right? She had heard of young human women being taken advantage of by Olympians in order to satisfy their lusts before being promptly swatted away or killed. She shivered again at the thought. But she wasn't quite sure if it was from the horror of the possibility of being killed by him..or something else.

She just didn't sense that from him. He didn't give off the aura of a lustful leacher only trying to fulfill a need. A spoiled child, maybe. A sarcastic, angry, brooding bore perhaps. He had even kept his promise of leaving her friends alone; or at least she had hoped. And now, he hadn't looked at her in her most vulnerable form. He had even left..

No. She straightened as she let those thoughts slip away; locking them deep in the back of her mind. She couldn't give in to him so easily. He could train her. He could tell her everything she ever wanted to know about the Force, her abilities, everything. And after, she'd leave this place. He thinks he can use her? We will see who's using who.

Happy with her new found resolve, she reached for the first article of clothing on the pile. She grimaced.

….

Rey opened the large entrance to her cell to greet her warden. He was so intoxicating in every sense of the word. The deity leaned back against the wall across from the door, arms crossed and face blank. He was already looking up at her once she exited.

She fidgeted underneath the weight of his gaze. It wasn't her face he was looking so intently at. She had gone through the entire pile of clothing, wanting to scream in panic, throwing handfuls of fabric every which way. Her room was now covered in a sea of reds, yellows, purples, silvers and blues. Each article she pulled out was more vile than the last; dresses and outfits so uncomfortable or revealing that she wanted to vomit. She wished the extravagant window could be opened so she could rid herself of them immediately.

She had settled on the outfit she could stomach the most; a tight black long-sleeve top, detailed with random swirls of red around the neckline and matching black tights. She sighed a deep sigh of relief as she noted they had not taken away her precious boots. The neckline steered right across her shoulders, exposing her entire collarbone and upper arms. It wasn't near as bad, she noted, as she put it on. She quickly piled her long dark hair into her favorite triple buns, and headed out.

Now, taking in her new look, she didn't see anything perverted in his eyes. Or at least she hoped. He looked to be simply registering her in something other than white. His eyes met her own as if he heard her thoughts, which he most likely did. "Follow me."

They passed several doors and entryways to places she cared not to see. One of which was the famous dining hall they had their first argument. First of many, she thought.

"You're getting better."

He was walking two paces in front of her, he had spoken without looking bad. She caught up to him, to see his face, "Did you hear that?"

He let himself look down into her eyes as they walked, "First of many." he quoted before his eyes flowed back to front.

Rey felt a slight blush threaten her cheeks, "I was thinking of our argument. And how it was the first of probably many. How was I able to keep you out this time?"

"I don't know. Maybe your awareness is helping some. You're doing it subconsciously."

She smiled in sheer delight; incredibly grateful he wasn't an audience to her every thought now. She had to be more careful. That would be the first thing she must learn to control. Who knew, maybe she could figure it out without him.

"I doubt it."

She answered him with a smug look, "Hey, you never know. You could have met your match."

"Good. Having my match is the only way to defeat Zeus."

She noticed his huge hands curling into fists at his sides. She wanted to know why Kylo was sent here in the first place; why Zeus would do such a thing. Did he show his master how cruel he was? Did he betray him? She opened her mouth to ask before being promptly interrupted.

"Don't talk to anyone that isn't me or Alpha. Everyone here is out to get something, and none if it is in your best interest. Understood?" He was facing her now, barking orders with one hand raised, ready to open the exquisite door.

They were in what looked to be the foyer to a magnificent castle. It was vast, empty, and cold. She wasn't sure if the walls and rugs were grey and black or if that was just layers of dust. A grand chandelier hung in the center of the room. It was so large that she couldn't count all the candles that it held. An old, decaying staircase split into two, leading to an upper level. The only light came from foggy curtainless windows.

They were standing on the presepase now, the exit into the outside world. Whatever realm he ruled over, lie just beyond these double doors.

He stared as she took in her surroundings, waiting for assurance of her compliance. She finally felt his gaze and turned, "Uh yeah. Yes no talking to anybody but you and the droid. I got it, I got it."

He sighed in defeat before swishing his wrist to will the entrance open. They were met with a glow of light. It filled the sleepy castle's front room almost entirely, like a portal had been opened. She squinted and had to blink several times.

"Come on." his voice sounded further away now, he had already walked several steps into the unknown.

As her eyes focused, her mind reeled at the wonder before her. It was oddly..beautiful. Tall black skinny trees filled the landscape. Grey powdery dirt covered the ground that wasn't occupied by shimmering gorgeous silky turquoise pools. She could see many things in the distance; groups of trees, a forest maybe?

He was taking in her reaction as he stood half turned towards her; one foot already down on one of the steps.

"What is it?"

His calming deep voice brought her attention back to him instantly, "N-Nothing."

"Say it." The demand sounded so calm. His tone was so much softer than it had been before. It took her a moment to register it fully.

"It's..It's beautiful."

She thought she sensed shock in his expression as his jaw tightened slightly. But he recovered almost instantaneously.

She approached him, following her capturer down the marble steps. They were slippery, covered in what looked like a morning dew. She tensed her muscles, hoping to not fall.

As they reached the ground, she noticed something even more beautiful to her left. She turned toward the most magical garden she had ever seen. It was so strange and jarring; green in a sea of gray. It housed hedges taller than Kylo himself and flowers of every color and type she could have ever imagined. She had only ever seen things like this in hologram form or in drawings in books. She wanted to run to it; to touch the petals; to lay into a hedge.

She felt the God's eyes on her face as she grinned gleefully towards the lush area.

"You're welcome to it anytime. There's a small maze inside too."

She quickly turned to him, grinning ear-to-ear, "A maze? Really? Is that what those huge hedges are for?!" Rey hadn't filt this giddy since she found that old speeder in the desert with Finn.

He simply nodded in response.

"Can we go now?" She pleaded, blinking at him several times, waiting for a response. He casually turned away from her, heading toward the miniature oasis. She happily jogged after him.

The garden easily took her breath away. She wanted to live in it; to put a blanket and pillow down in the center and call it home. It was so different from anything she had ever known. It was..perfect. She felt so comfortable and free. It was as if she was finally where she was always meant to be. And as her eyes ran across the gorgeous landscape, falling upon the ruler of this new world, her feeling shattered.

This wasn't right. She couldn't let herself feel so comfortable here. She was practically in hell; side by side with the devil himself. But he didn't look like the Kylo Ren in her mind. He didn't exude the cruel and terrifying nature of a God of the Underworld. He certainly didn't terrify her as much and it had only been a day. She wanted to kick herself for paying far more attention to her capturer than the glorious landscape that surrounded her. Unfortunately for her, he was far more interesting.

"What is it?" She hadn't noticed how she was gaping at him while so deep in her thoughts. She smiled briefly at the relief that if he was asking, that meant he didn't hear anything. He certainly wasn't sparing her feelings and being polite; she didn't think he was capable of such a gesture.

"Did you bring me my dinner last night?"

"You're not a prisoner here. I'm not going to starve you."

"Thank you.." Rey found herself not being able to meet his dark eyes as she thanked him. His stare was so harsh, demanding, so intrusive. It's as if he was boring holes into her soul with every glance. When he didn't answer, she quickly grew embarrassed, desperate to talk about something else.

He must have sensed her displeasure, because he began stepping forward towards the green maze to continue her tour. His limbs were so long. Just a few strides made him go several feet ahead of her, making her jog to catch up.

"Do you know your way around it?"

He let out a sarcastic huff in response, "There's no secrets here that I don't know."

"So..what all is here? If this really is the Underworld, then where are the souls of the dead? Can we just not see them?"

He continued his stride, taking a sharp right before answering, "There are several sections. Rings. Each different in punishment. Where we are, Zile, is beneath the Earth. There are no souls here unless they request to meet with me to appeal their sentences."

"So you really do judge them?"

"Yes."

"You know..you never really introduced yourself. Not once, actually. Alpha ended up having to tell me."

"Neither did you."

Rey scowled, "I didn't have to! You took a vacation in my head to see who I was!"

"I wouldn't call it a vacation."

Rey rolled her eyes. He wasn't all that terrifying. Kylo Ren was nothing like the stories of her youth said. He was nothing more than an ass.

He took a sharp left twice, followed by another right, "I've been called worse." The almost playful sarcasm in his earlier tone had faded. His voice had quieted intensely. For some reason, she actually felt apologetic.

Rey quickly tried to recover, "So..where are you taking me?"

"The center. Remember our path so you can find it again yourself."

Rey nodded, "Okay." she had tried to follow his movements from the beginning, but the further they crept into the maze the harder she found it. "I thought you said this was a small maze?"

"It is." he said matter-of-factly as he made another left. They were in a small circular opening, surrounded by thick green leafy hedge walls. Surrounded by a circular array of purple and yellow feathery flowers she couldn't name, stood a stone well. It was beautiful. The large stones showed no cracks or signs of wear. It could have been made yesterday for all she knew. While almost everything in this world seemed so old and forgotten, this looked brand new, untouched by time. She slowly approached it, following the small cement path that cut through the circle of florals. The liquid inside was the same as in the wasteland, a gorgeous bright turquoise. It was so calm that her reflection stared back at her as clear as a mirror.

"You can drink it."

Rey turned to face him, curiosity peaking, "So it's just like regular water?"

"Somewhat." the God was far closer than she had anticipated. He had closed the gap between them when she wasn't looking. His steps had been so silent..

His breath flowed over her face as he spoke, "Some say its better." She could've sworn there was some inflection in his voice. It was lower, maybe; even softer than his normal rumbles that radiated in her chest.

Her eyelashes came into view as she noted her lids getting heavy. This was too much. He was far too close. The electrical current between them furiously gripped onto her bones, vibrating in her ears. What had become a dull hum around him had grown now into a loud roar.

"H-How?"

"Try it. And then tell me if it is." She wasn't imagining it. His voice was significantly softer than it ever was. She had to get away from him. Her body was warning her of something..something she couldn't put her finger on yet. A cold hard substance hit the small of her back and she reached back, realizing she had been gently backed up into the side of the well. She was trapped. Yet his hands didn't move, nothing on him moved now. He knew she couldn't escape and yet he did nothing.

"I-I'm not..I'm not thirsty. I'm fine..really." She hated the way her words came out in childish stammers. She desperately wished he backed off. Kylo's soft black curls slid into view as he tilted his head down towards hers. Their extreme height distance was never as apparent as it was now.

"Are you sure?" His cool breath made her head swim. She felt like she might pass out. She really wished she would.

"Yes, Kylo, really. I don't want to." She could have sworn she heard his breath hitch in his throat for a moment. He immediately retreated, backing up several paces. The air around her instantly felt better. She took in a deep breath, not realizing she had been holding it.

"Maybe another time." he spun on his heel, started back from whence they came. Hesitantly, she followed.

….