A Gargoyle New Year

"You are so taking me to the party!" Horace hopped up and down on the polished wood surface of Stasi's dresser as she rummaged through her closet.

"No." Her word was muffled but that didn't stop the power she exuded.

The six-inch grayish stone gargoyle snarled as he absently chewed on a razor sharp claw. "It's New Year's Eve and I want to celebrate! ."

"And your point is?" Stasi pulled out a cobalt silk strapless dress with a flirty hem that revealed more than it covered. She hung the dress on a nearby hook and returned to the closet to find shoes.

"I don't want to be alone."

The 700-year plus witch ignored his mock-sorrowful tone. "You won't be alone. Bogie isn't going either." She looked over her shoulder and smiled at her beloved and magickal Yorkie/Chihuahua that tended to float along the floor instead of walking and disappeared if he thought he was in trouble. At the moment, the dog was sleeping peacefully in the middle of her bed and looked as if he could care less the New Year would ring in in a few short hours. “And Cleo’s coming with Lili. She’ll stay with you.”

"You're going off to have champagne and all sorts of fun food while I have to stay here and dog and catsit?"

This time Bogie did raise his head with a curled upper lip and snarl.

'Yeah, well, you'll probably go out and find yourself a dog to hump while I'm stuck here listening to everyone shout "Happy New Year" and doing the kissy face thing. What've I got?" Horace marched across the dresser surface, only barely avoiding kicking perfume bottles into the air but aware the consequences weren't worth the crime. Not when Stasi's best friend was an expert in revenge spells and Stasi would let Blair loose on him. He may be a gargoyle, but he wasn't stupid.

Stasi ignored his mutterings and stuck him in a drawer while she dressed. He was still complaining as he watched Maggie, Declan and Lili arrive with Jazz, Nick, Trev, and Jake on their heels.

Cleo, Lili’s arrogant Persian looked Horace up and down with her usual regal disdain.

“What should I do with him?” she asked, prowling the kitchen. “Where’s the catnip wine?”

“Forget the catnip wine and behave,” Lili warned her.

"Oh no," the feline snarled, twitching her plush tail. "If I have to spend the evening with it I want magnums of catnip wine."

"No catnip wine!" all the witches shouted, aware what the addictive drink did to the cat.

“Ladies,” the men intoned as one, staring at their watches even as they admired the gorgeous witches.

“Be good,” Stasi told Horace as they left the apartment. .

"You'll be sorry!" he shouted after them.

"There's pretzels in the cupboard!" Stasi called back to him.

"Pretzels. Big friggin' deal. I get crunchy salty twists while all over the place midnight madness is going on." Horace skidded to a stop and ran back to the back door. He smiled as he watched Stasi and Blair drive off.

*****

"Some guys don't understand boundaries and a New Year's kiss doesn't mean a tonsillectomy," Stasi grumbled as Trev drove the SUV down Moonstone Lake's main street leading to the building that housed her and Blair's shops and second floor apartment. The others had headed for the nearby resort where they rented rooms for the night. "What is this?" She slowed down at the cars lining the road and lights flaring from the building on the corner. A building that shouldn't be that lit up.

Blair leaned forward. "Your shop is open!"

“Stasi!” Trev warned as his witch hopped out of the vehicle, running over to her lingerie boutique's front door that stood open while women roamed in and out.

"Great sales in there and they're even serving champagne!" One woman walked out with an armful of bags. "75% off!"

Stasi's voice strangled inside her throat as she stared at her shop sadly depleted of stock while women, obviously coming back from parties elsewhere on the mountain, had stopped for a midnight madness sale.

A smiling Horace sauntered out of the dressing room behind a shapely brunette. He didn't look the least bit guilty as Stasi loomed over him.

"What have you done?" Magick flew around her like a tornado. Trev stood a fair distance back so he wouldn’t be caught up in the insanity.

Horace shrugged. "I told you not to leave me alone."

Have a magickal New Year!