Page 9 of Under Their Watch

“Why are you such a brat, Anika?” Quinn asks Anika, smiling.

Quinn can’t be like that. The Quinn I know wouldn’t hurt a woman. I abruptly stand and back away. I don’t want to be close to him if he wants to hurt Anika. She’s so sweet. She doesn’t deserve a beating for that. She didn’t do anything wrong.

“Don’t!” I yell as tears flood my face when Quinn stands to come to me. Jace stands and I panic. I don’t want to see them mad like that. That’s not who they are. Why would they want to hurt her? Would they hurt me because I didn’t keep my thoughts to myself?

I can feel myself spiraling and it feels like I’ve been punched in the chest. I suddenly can’t breathe, and I claw at my neck, trying to find a way to breathe. Someone grabs my hands, and I instantly start gasping and sobbing as I try to pull away from them. I can hear people talking, but they sound distant. Max and Rowan are holding Quinn and Jace back so they can’t get to me. Someone grabs my face and makes me look away from them.

“Rhea, breathe,” Theo says. I can hardly hear him, but I try. I stop fighting him and try to focus on why I can’t breathe. Every time I look at Quinn and Jace, I can hear Marvin’s voice. “I need to get her away from them for a second.”

“No,” Quinn says. I can hear the tears in his voice.

“Anika?” Theo says.

“I’m with you,” she says. “Mia. Emma. Come with us.”

Theo scoops me up, and I am still gasping as he carries me away from Quinn and Jace. When we get into another room, he sits me on a table and puts his hands on either side of my legs so I can’t run away again. Mia, Emma, and Anika are around me as well.

“Rhea. It’s just us,” Theo says. “Count to ten for me.”

“One…” I choke out. “Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven… Eight… Nine… Ten…”

By the time I get to ten, I can breathe again. “Good job, Rhea,” Theo praises. “Look at me.”

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly, my bottom lip trembling. “I don’t know…”

“You had a panic attack, Rhea. Don’t apologize for needing support,” he says. “What happened?”

“Quinn… He called her a brat and… Marvin…” I start to lose grip on myself again, but Anika seems to understand. Her voice cuts through to me and I can focus.

“What did Marvin say about brats?” she asks.

“He… He said brats are just submissives that need to be beaten,” I whisper. “I read once that they… I’m so fucking confused. I don’t know what to believe.”

“What did you read?” Theo asks.

“That brats are a brat when they need something specific and when they are supported properly, they submit,” I say. “But… Dominants have all the power. So, if they are a submissive, shouldn’t they just do what they are told?”

“Both parties hold power equally,” Theo says. “That’s why submissives have safe words.”

“Marvin always said that submissives don’t need safe words because they are expected to submit no matter what,” I argue.

“How do you think it should be?” Theo asks me.

“I… I shouldn’t have to do something I don’t want to,” I say. “I always wanted to please Marvin, but he always caused me so much pain that it was no longer pleasurable.”

“How so?” he asks.

“All of the impact things he used on me has little metal things on them,” I say. “They would cut me and it would hurt. He would get upset when I’d cry, so he’s pour alcohol on the cuts until I stopped crying.”

“What the fuck,” Mia says. “I hated the prick, but now I want to hurt him myself.”

“Can you go get the others, please?” Theo says to Emma. She nods and leaves the room.

“Did I say something wrong?” I ask quietly. “I’m…”

“No, Rhea. You’ve not done anything wrong,” Theo says. I nod and bow my head. I chew on the inside of my cheek as I pick at my nails. When the door comes open, arms wrap around me.

“I’m so sorry, Rhea,” Quinn says quietly. “I’m so sorry I scared you.”

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