Psyche Souffle (Knead to Know Book 3) Read Online Free

and thousands of years he stopped using the arrows because she should’ve been in love with him, but she isn’t? Do you know what that means?”
    “I imagine you are going to tell me.”
    Damn right I was going to tell him. “He’s been keeping her prisoner for pretty much ever. If we bring her back, we’re helping him.”
    “And here I thought helping him was the point.”
    “Not at her expense. I won’t do it.” Part of me acknowledged that I had no proof to back up my suspicions, but as I spoke the words they made sense to me.
    There was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Phoenix said.
    A woman about my height with perfectly tussled bedhead and bee-stung lips entered. “You summoned me. I wasn’t sure I’d see you again.”
    Ugh. It took everything I had to stop pacing. I sized her up. She wore an aquamarine dress with a deeply scooped neckline and an antique lace overlay. It was beautiful. She was beautiful and sultry and oh…so evil. Energy buzzed beneath my skin. I no longer cared about pacing; the hunger was struggling for control again.
    “I saw you downstairs,” he said. “Proximity and all that. I’ll only take a moment of your time.”
    She walked right past me and stuck her tongue down Phoenix’s throat. Obviously she knew him well. “I think we could do better than a moment.” Her hands were already heading toward his waist.
    I had to get out of this room before I drained her energy and created another enemy tonight. “I’ll just go work on this problem by myself,” I said.
    Phoenix pulled back slightly, moving the woman away from him. “Maggie, this is Harmony. Harmony, Maggie.”
    “Nice to meet you,” I said, flipping on my customer service switch because it was the only defense I had left. “Have a good day.” I darted for the door, just wanting to leave. I had to figure out what to do about Psyche, dream up a signature dessert soufflé, and I really needed to eat. I didn’t need whatever this was.
    “Don’t you want to shake her hand?” Phoenix asked.
    I let my head fall back. Hadn’t he tortured me enough for one night? I turned back and took a couple steps into the room, holding out my trembling hand to the woman. She gave an indifferent shrug and took it. I couldn’t stop it. The moment her skin touched mine, the floodgates opened. She staggered and I ripped my hand away, feeling much better and in control. I opened my mouth to apologize, but Phoenix shook his head, catching her arm.
    “I’m not feeling well,” she said. “I’m really dizzy.”
    He walked her toward the door. “Anderson will take you home.” He handed her to Anderson—I presumed. The door closed softly behind him. “Feel better?”
    My mouth fell open. “You set up all of this? I could have…”
    “I need your whole mind in this, Maggie. Harmony will be fine and none the wiser. If you’d left like you were, there’s no telling who you would’ve targeted or if you could have stopped.” His direct, unwavering gaze forced me to see the truth in his words. It also said “See, I can help you more than you know,” but I ignored that part of the silent conversation.
    “Back to Psyche. Let’s say your arrow theory is right. What do we do? How can we make her fall in love with Cupid, sans supernatural intervention?”
    “I have no idea.” I sat on the edge of his desk. I couldn’t manage my own love life, let alone someone else’s. “It’s not like I’m an expert on love. Do you see people lined up at my door for dates?”
    He gave me an impatient look. “I think you do okay. How’s the carpenter?”
    Boone. He’d be the much better person to ask about something like this, but we only had until Valentine’s Day. I didn’t think Boone—or, more accurately, his girlfriend—would appreciate me contacting him so close to the most romantic day of the year.
    Phoenix approached with long graceful strides, seeming to read my mind. “Never mind . . . I don’t really care how he is.