Fairytale Ambrosia (The Knead to Know Series Book 2) by Liz Schulte Page A

an imaginary glass in an imaginary toast.
    “What about your neck?” she asked. “There was some sort of burn—and your shirt was bloody and torn to shreds. What did that?”
    I bit my lower lip, not looking at her as I tried to think of a logical explanation, other than the truth which would freak them out.
    “Why don’t we quit interrogating Maggie, and let her tell us how we can help her,” Megan said with an encouraging smile.
    I released my breath. Thank goodness for Megan. I gave the highlights of the case and explained what I needed them to do based on Phoenix’s recommendation. Even though he obviously had plans to use me, I was certain he didn’t want me to die. After all, I wouldn’t be of any use to him if I was dead. Also, if anyone could help me ferret out a bad guy, who better than him?
    “Could be a witch,” Stephanie agreed. “She’d have to be old and powerful. I don’t know about stealing youth though. That would be some major black magic and I am not familiar enough to even say if it is possible.”
    “If she can make a portal into random places, she’s plenty strong.” Megan’s legs bounced. “You said she was wearing white both times? And her hair was silver?”
    I nodded.
    “And the second time, she was young? Was she pretty?”
    “Yes,” Boone said, speaking for the first time. “She was very pretty.”
    “What are you thinking?” Stephanie asked.
    “I’m not sure.” Megan stood and went to the shelves. “The story reminds me of something I read before. The woman in white…” She ran a finger along the spines of her books, then stopped. “Did she have keys on her belt?”
    Boone’s forehead wrinkled and he rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I don’t know.”
    “How old do you think the hotel maid is?”
    He sighed. “I can’t really say for sure. I didn’t get a great look at her. She seemed fairly young, but she wasn’t a child.”
    “Did she look upset? Was she crying or anything prior to being taken?” Megan asked.
    Stephanie hopped over to Megan’s side to look at the book she’d stopped on, eyebrows drawn together. “Who do you think it is?” She squinted at the book.
    “I really don’t remember if she was crying,” Boone said. “My visions are a lot like dreams. They fade with time.”
    “Well, my guess, and it is just a guess, is that you saw Holda.” Megan immediately started chewing on her pinkie fingernail.
    Stephanie eyebrows shot up and her mouth formed an “O” shape. “Holda’s a goddess. Why would she be here?”
    Megan frowned. “I know, and maybe it’s a reach—but Holda is usually seen in white. She has been known to steal children’s souls from time to time and she’s the goddess of domestic arts.”
    “You lost me on the last one,” I said. “What does that matter?”
    “Well, if the maid is bad at her job and gets fired or something, that would explain why she will be targeted. Holda is infamous for rewarding those who work hard and punishing those who don’t.”
    “Okay, but it seems kind of ridiculous. It isn’t like this poor woman is the only bad housekeeper in the world. Why her? And why stop at stealing two children if it’s kids’ souls she wants so badly?”
    Megan tossed me the book on Holda. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m way off, but if it is her, you have bigger problems. First, you have to find a way to get to her, and she isn’t of our world so when she leaves, she’s basically untouchable. Second, once you make it to her world, you’ll have to defeat her and find your way back. If I were you, I’d leave this one alone. Vampires can do a lot, but taking on goddesses isn’t on that list. I honestly don’t know if anyone could stop her. It’s like an apple trying to stop a human from picking it.”
    It wasn’t that easy to just walk away from three people. Sticking with Megan’s analogy, she couldn’t use our world as her personal orchard. We had to find a way to stop her or there was no reason to