Reborn by Jeff Gunzel Page A

Please, I’ll do anything.”
    “Anything, you say?” He could feel her head nod against his back, moisture seeping through his shirt. “I can’t hear you,” he said softly.
    “Yes, anything.” Her voice was even softer than his.
    He spun into her suddenly, grabbing the back of her hair. He jerked it hard, tilting her head straight backward. Looking over the top of her chest, his eyes locked onto Hashiki. He smiled, before silently mouthing the word “go”. With a sad look, the broken creature hobbled past them and out the door. With her long hair entangled in one hand, he gripped her throat with the other, hoisting her up effortlessly. With a jarring thump, he slammed her down onto the table, scattering books in all directions.
    With most of the air driven from her lungs, she gasped, struggling to speak. “Wha—what are you doing?” came the breathless words.
    Still holding her by the throat, he removed his hand from her hair, then slowly slid it down between her breasts. “I’m going to hold you to your word,” the beast said softly, his hot breath coming in long deep bursts.
    “No, no, not this,” she pleaded, eyes wide with panic. She began to thrash, pushing helplessly against the brute.
    “Must I remind you of the alternative?” he whispered with a grin. Her struggling stopped instantly. That particular fate was simply not an option. “That’s better.” With a quick tug, the front of her green dress easily tore away. He slinked his way down toward her feet. “Who knows, you may actually enjoy this.” His mouth took in her entire foot, forcing a light squeak to escape her lips. After a few plunges, he released it from his lips with a popping sound. “But somehow, I doubt you will.”
    Morita lay perfectly still while his rough, sandy tongue worked its way up the inside of her leg, leaving a cold trail of saliva. How many women had he done this very thing to over the years? Shivers rattled through her shoulders as his tongue moved up between her legs, then gasped when it penetrated deeply. Disgust and repulsion flooded through her, to the point where she thought she might burst.
    In a form of self-defense born of pure instinct, her mind went dormant. She had no idea how long she laid there. No idea how many minutes...how many hours had passed. The ordeal seemed like some sort of drugged nightmare. She was only partially conscious to the merciless pounding, experiencing it in brief segments before her consciousness retreated back into the only safe place it could find...blackness.
    * * *
    Zhou hunched over his plate, stuffing his face greedily with three chicken legs, four potatoes, a large serving of noodles, and two bowls of rice. He slammed down his tin mug, tea still dripping from the side of his mouth, then continued to gorge as if he hadn’t eaten in days. Morita sat quietly across from him, her arms folded across her chest. Her portions were less than half of his, yet she hadn’t touched a bite. “Come on, eat,” he said, with tiny chunks flying from his mouth with each word. “Your food will get cold.” He looked up from his plate. “And then I suppose we will have to warm it up.” She glared at him in disgust, which only forced him to laugh and wink, before ripping another bite of meat off the bone. “Well, if you’re going to just sit there doing nothing, you might as well go feed that woman. It’s been at least a couple of days, and I’m sure she’ll be ready to eat by now.
    The intense hate that burned in Morita’s eyes could have set a forest ablaze. She started to stand, but stumbled as her knees wobbled. She hunched back over the table, grimacing as the white-hot pain between her legs shot through her entire body. She would quickly heal, of course, almost certainly by nightfall, but the whole ordeal had been so savage. Morita growled when Zhou laughed even harder; the sight of his sister in this condition made him feel powerful. “Better get going. She won’t wait all