Page 5 of Mistletoe Wishes and Dragon Kisses

“I do, but how do…?”

"Oh, girl," Em happily scoffed with a wave of her hand as she turned around and kept talking. "When are you gonna start checking Ghougle News? My Head Boo in Charge, none other than Noss the Great, keeps all that stuff up to date to the very second, twenty–four–hours–a–day, seven–days–a–week, and then some. You know how Gargoyles are. They don’t need much sleep."

“Well, I knew y’all created that computer doo-dad, search thingy, but I had no clue that it…”

“That computer doo–dad, search thingy?” Slapping her right palm over her heart, she smiled and shook her head before continuing, "That is why I love you so very much, Glo. You seriously just called the best invention since sliced bread, chocolate, and peanut, and your Granny Esta's blueberry scones, a computer doo–dad search thingy? Ghougleisrevolutionary. It is a search engine, a database, and a one-stop information shop for all things Magical, Mystical, Paranormal, and Supernatural. There never has been, and there never will be anything like it," Em barked with laughter. "You crack me up, Glo. You really do. Ghougle is on the Bright White or Dark Purple–depending on a person’s preference–Magical web where only those of us who are Special, Blessed, and stupendously Magical can access it.”

“I get it. Please don’t think I’m…”

“Oh, we know you’re not being nasty or dismissive,” Em cooed. “Noss and I love you more than those little, mini chocolate peanut butter cups straight outta the freezer. Right, Nossy?”

“That’s right, Sweetcheeks,” the Gargoyle agreed, his deep, rumbling voice filling the room as he grinned in Em’s direction with pure love shining deep in his dark, brown eyes.

“Right back atcha, Rock Man,” Em giggled.

Picking up all her things, the Fey Dragon went on, “Oh, my dear, dear Witchy Poo, I see I’m gonna have to drag you kickin’ and screamin' into the twenty-first century. This is the digital age, after all. You can't just let it pass you by. We just gotta get you and all your duties as the Brown Witch of Peace, Protection, and Eternal Love automated right here and right now. It will make your life so much easier and way less crazy and kooky.”

Moving so fast that Glo saw only a blur, Em put her backpack on the stool and her massive tote bag on the huge, leatheroffice chair the Witch never used. Then she picked up the small dry–erase board from where she'd placed it on the floor and looked around, snapping her head from the left to the right so quickly that her shoulder-length chestnut curls with natural, light purple highlights swung back and forth like a mini cape.

When she obviously didn’t find what she was looking for, Em shook her head and offhandedly whispered, “Well, we will just have to make do.”

Holding up the whiteboard as high as she could reach, the Fey Dragon looked over at Glo, winked one more time, and then tossed the board into the air. Glittering Enchanted confetti floated from her fingertips as the tinkling of silver bells danced on the airwaves a split second before that dry-erase board turned into a massive–seriously huge, like close to as large as a jumbotron that hangs over the middle of a professional basketball court–Magical display floating in midair.

Eightvery largecomputer screens created the border for an even bigger one right in the center displaying a map of the world. Before Glo could take it all in and formulate a question that didn't sound like she'd lost her mind, Em did a Magical snap of her own, and flashing red lights covered the map.

Turning to face her, the Fey Dragon explained, "So, Noss and I whipped up this handy dandy tracking map when we received the first report of the dying plants, and I realized that not just any plants were dying, but your Holy Mistletoe." Waving toward the screen like Vanna White turning those letters, she continued, “Everywhere you see a blinking light, a Mistletoe crop has been killed.”

“Holy shit,” Glo gasped. “It’s so much worse than…”

Unable to finish her thought as all the adrenaline of the last five minutes drained from her body, the Brown Witch of Peace, Protection, and Eternal Love slowly shook her head and, withher palm flat on the top of her desk, just barely stayed standing. "How can…? I don't under… This makes…."

“You are right, my dear friend, and to answer your questions, I have no clue how this can be happening, but it is. I don’t understand either, but we will damn sure figure it out. And I agree, this makes absolutely no sense, but again, we will figure it all out. You can count on it.”

Opening her mouth to thank her friend for speaking when she couldn’t, the calls she’d been ignoring came rushing back with a loud and uproarious vengeance as her Magic waned in light of her confusion. Then, on cue and to emphasize the state of the disaster she faced, every light on Em and Noss’s map flashed in time with the ringing, dinging, and binging in her mind.

Looking at Em, then at Noss, and finally at Hillary K. Hippo, whose brilliant blue eyes were bigger than she'd ever seen them, Glo did the only thing she could: she got to work–and that meant taking charge and giving everyone a task. Gaze going back to her friend, she asked, "Em, can you help me answer these calls?" Tapping her temple, she added, "They're all coming in telepathically."

“You know it,” Em cheered. “Gotcha covered. Everybody always says we share a brain. Time for that shit to come in handy.” Moving her tote from the big, leather office chair, she sat down and looked over the opposite shoulder. “Hey, Nossy, can you make the coffee? We’re gonna need tons of the good stuff. Oh! And Hills, my sweet ball of perfect Pinkness, can you get us some cookies, pastries, candy, and anything else sugary you can find? We're gonna need jet fuel, if ya’ know what I mean.”

“I sure do,” Hillary smiled. “Anything for you, Em.”

Before Glo could ask Hilly when the Body Snatchers had come and replaced her nasty attitude with one of pure delight, Em touched her left ear and happily chirped, “You’ve reached the Home Office of Glo Brown, bestest Brown Witch of Peace,Protection, and Eternal Love. This is Em MacIvor. How may I make you smile today?”

“I’ll get the java goin’,” the Gargoyle nodded, taking a smirking Hill with him as he headed to the kitchen.

“Thank you, Nostradamus,” Glo smiled, gratitude written all over her face. Then tuning back into the crazy beeping in her head, she took a page from Em’s book, tapped her temple, and answered, “Glo Brown here, how can I help?”

2

“No, I haven’t decided what to do yet.”

“Well, shouldn’t you…?”

“Yes, Mick,” he sighed. “I should decide what to do. I should do something, anything–but procrastinate. However, procrastinating is exactly what I’m doing. It’s like I have a little Devil sittin’ on my shoulder tellin’ me to hold off, just wait for the right time. Don’t make any snap decisions. Then the blasted Demon on the other shoulder gets in on the bullshit and calls me a scaredy cat Dragon who’s afraid of a little Brown Witch.”

“Dude, there is no time like the present. Get off your ass and jump in there with both…”

"Yes, Mick, I know I should get off my ass and just jump in with both feet. Or throw caution to the wind and race to Purdy Petals, USA, like the Hounds of Hell are nippin' at my heels. All the Ancients and the Great Goddess Herself know that I'm only one hundred–and–twenty–two–point–five miles away, sitting here in this house I built with my own two hands for my amazing Witchy Mate, doing nothing but twiddlin’ my thumbsand waitin’ for the next boot to drop, because I can’t decide how to do everything just right with my One True Fated Mate.”

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