Bind the Soul by Annette Marie

twitch. He reluctantly folded his arms as instructed, making it impossible for him to direct a spell at her on the fly.
    “Now,” she snarled, “turn off the aphrodisia.”
    He sneered. “You wouldn’t—”
    She shoved the gun into him so hard that he gasped. “Try me,” she taunted. “I dare you.”
    Baring his teeth, he exhaled slowly. At the same time, his eyes lightened from black to murky gold. He was still halfway shaded, but with a gun pressed to his most prized body part, it was the best she could expect.
    Her body still ached and burned but the relentless need immediately faded. She grabbed his shoulder, heaved him around, and slammed him into the wall. She dug the barrel into his groin and smiled as his eyes bulged.
    “Now, Micah,” she said icily, “we’re going to have a little chat. I’ll ask questions and you’ll answer truthfully—or I’ll splatter your balls all over the wall. Understood?”
    His gaze flicked over her face, reading her emotions. His pupils dilated with fear.
    “Yes,” he croaked.

CHAPTER 7
    P IPER tightened her grip on the gun to control her shaking hand. It took all her self-control to not pull the trigger—even though Micah deserved it.
    It seemed her lesson on how naive she was wasn’t over yet. She’d been overconfident—again. She’d gotten used to the idea of incubi as pushovers. They didn’t even rank compared to daemons like Miysis, Raum, and Ash. But they were dangerous in their own right. She’d forgotten that. She’d thought she had a pretty good idea what aphrodisia could do—but she hadn’t had a clue. Micah had turned her into a hormonal animal, as helpless to the instinctual needs of her body as a cat in heat. If she hadn’t had the gun, she wouldn’t have been able to stop him. She probably wouldn’t have tried.
    The need to shoot the bastard was almost as strong as the lingering craving for his touch.
    She poked the barrel into his groin. He bared his teeth at her.
    “Let’s begin,” she said coldly. “When was the last time you saw Ash?”
    His upper lip curled. “This is about him ? You—”
    “Answer the question!” She narrowed her eyes, focusing as hard as she could on his reply.
    “I haven’t seen him since the night I stole that damn fake stone from you.”
    She knew he was lying even before the pendant burned hot against her skin.
    “You’re lying. When did you see him?”
    “I told you—”
    “Don’t test me, Micah.” She jabbed him with the gun. “Tell me the truth and this will be over a hell of a lot faster.”
    “Eight days ago.”
    Hope jumped in her chest. “Where?”
    “Asphodel. Everyone knows he’s there. Why are you asking me?”
    She took a deep breath, feeling sick that her fears about Ash’s whereabouts were right—but relieved to know either way. “Was he okay when you saw him?”
    He shrugged. “I only saw him in passing.”
    She twisted the gun into him hard, forcing him back against the wall. “I want a real answer, Micah. Now.”
    He sucked in a pained breath. “He didn’t look healthy. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
    He was telling the truth. She pushed her shoulders back. “How has Samael been controlling Ash?”
    Micah blinked. “How the hell should I know?”
    The pendant didn’t react. Disappointment flared through her and she almost moved on to her next question, but then she remembered how she’d slipped past Miysis’s truth-sensing abilities. She narrowed her eyes.
    “Yes or no answer. Do you know how Samael controls Ash?”
    “No.”
    Heat radiated from the pendant.
    “Lie,” she hissed. “Tell me. Now!”
    “I can’t—damn it, I can’t! Stop jabbing me with that bloody gun. Samael will kill me, you understand? I only found out by accident.”
    She inhaled slowly. Then she lifted the gun and shoved it under his chin, forcing his head back. “You will tell me, Micah, or God help me, I will shoot you. Samael might kill you later but I’ll kill you right