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I met Dagger’s eye; the pain evident in my brother’s stare.

We had taken things too far tonight.

Dagger cut the ropes from her body and I tried to keep her as warm as I could, moving the blanket out of the way while Dagger cut.

As the ropes fell from her body, Maya slowly opened her eyes. They were glazed over. A dazed express—subspace or shock—had settled over her.

I felt a chill run down my spine. I had never seen her like this before. It made my stomach roll.

We had fucked up.

I had to do something, pull her out of this somehow. I slowly unwrapped the blanket from around her and stood up, settling her on her feet.

I was grateful when her legs held her weight and her body kept her upright. I kept my voice low as I spoke to her. “On your knees Little Dreamer,” I said, my voice deep as I commanded my little Sub to drop to her knees. I watched her carefully, noticing every breath and twinge of pain that crossed her face.

Her breath was still erratic, but she gracefully slid to her knees before me. She straightened her back, only wincing slightly as her bare ass hit her feet. She pulled her shoulders back and slid her hands on her thighs, palms up, and dropped her gaze to the ground. There was still a dazed expression in her eyes though, like she was going through the motions of muscle memory and not truly in the moment.

Once she was fully in position, I nodded once, even though she couldn’t see my face. “Good girl.”

A warm blush coated her blotchy cheeks, as her breath caught in her throat. Good, she’s still in there. Maya had a praise kink a mile wide. I smirked, knowing just how easily I could wrap her around my fingers, or my dick.

“Why were you punished tonight, slut?” I asked. I needed this more now than anything else.

Maya trembled. “I didn’t text you for a ride when I was leaving the party. I took a rideshare instead. I put myself in danger while I was drunk.” Her voice was hoarse; she’d been screaming and sobbing for hours now.

Finally, I felt the tension drain from my body. She understood her transgression and had paid for it dearly. She was also not as out of it as she first appeared. I felt my own anxiety over her well-being loosen the hold around my heart.

“And will you do that again, Maya?” I purposely used her name, ending the scene.

Her head shot up and her wide-eyed stare flew to mine. “Never. I promise.” Her head whipped around to look for Marcos and Nico, but both men had come to stand on either side of me. Her eyes were wild as she tried to make eye contact with each of them. “I promise you; I will never do that again.” Her voice was raw, her breath hitching as she spoke, as another sob threatened to tear out of her.

I believed her.

I opened my arms to her, blanket held aloft in one hand—it was all the invitation she needed. She tried to fly up into my arms, had managed to stand, before she pitched forward, her legs crumpling beneath her.

I barely got my arms under her and cradled her to my chest, before she passed out.

“Maya!” Nico shouted.

Maya’s head lolled back on her neck, completely unsupported—she was unconscious.

“Fuck,” I cursed.

Marcos moved in behind her, easing her back and pulling her up into his arms bridal style. “Check that she’s breathing,” he ordered.

I slid my fingers along her neck and felt for a pulse, while also watching her chest rise and fall very, very slowly. “Heart beat is weak, breathing is slow. She’s likely hypothermic. We need to get her warm, now.”

The urgency in which we moved was unprecedented. Never behind had one of us had a medical emergency during a scene—let alone Maya. Never before though, had we taken a punishment so far.

Nico managed to get the blanket wrapped around Maya while in Marcos’s arms. My heart lurched in my throat as Marcos took off running through the woods towards the house.

Thankfully, we weren’t all that far away.

Nico and I chased after them. I barely thought about the fire still burning in the pit—something we’d have to come put out at some point—all I could worry about right at that moment was Maya.

I tore up the stairs to our bedroom on the second floor, where I found Marcos had set Maya down on the bed and was already stripping himself of his clothes. “Bare skin,” he barked at them.

I immediately pulled my cut, hoodie, and t-shirt over my head in one swift yank. I didn’t even bother with resting my cut on the chair in the corner—it wasn’t important right now. Nothing mattered more than Maya. Nothing.