Shadow queen, part two

When Cole woke up, he still felt a little dizzy. The memories came back to him in flashes. He was with Phoebe in the mausoleum. She trapped him there and they had a fight. He refused to come back to her and she throw a potion at him.

The potion... The damn potion... Cole felt disgusted. He never thought that Phoebe could do something like this, use magic to make him slavishly willing to do anything she wished. Not his Phoebe. She stopped..., he tried to comfort himself. At least she didn't go all the way. She gave up that absurd idea.

But he remembered as well that something happened later, someone managed to penetrate the crystal cage.

Despina.

"Good morning", her cold voice broke his thoughts. She was there, in front of him, looking at him up and down.

Cole started to breathe heavily. Now the events of last night came back to his mind like in a movie. He was still under the potion's effect when Despina appeared in the mausoleum. She took him and Phoebe with her. And while Phoebe was dragged by Kaliel, Despina made him follow her to her room.

"I was watching you sleep...", she said, touching Cole's face. Her hands were cold and her face had no expression. She approached him more and, when she was almost kissing him, he frowned and turned his face.

"I see you're not under magical influence anymore...", she looked coldly at him.

Cole sat up in the bed, still feeling a little dizzy. "No, I'm not", he avoided her eyes. He took a deep breath and before Despina could start to talk again, he asked: "How did you manage to enter the cage?", he needed to know how Despina became so powerful.

"Me? I picked up a few powers... In a river called Styx...", she smiled.

"Erebus...", he said quietly. "Did you steal Erebus powers?", the goddess nodded.

"His powers are mine!", she stared at him, who looked horrified at her. It was truth that she was still learning to use her new powers, but she could sense the magic inside her growing. "That's why I could enter into the cage. I could sense you there, but I have to say that I didn't expect to find you with that witch...".

"Phoebe...", he whispered. "What happened to Phoebe?", he asked with angst in his voice. He was angry with her, she was the only one who made him vulnerable to Despina, dragging him into this situation. But he still cared about her despite everything she had done to him. She could be selfish, stubborn and arrogant, but he still loved her and the simple thought of her suffering in Despina's hands broke his heart.

Despina stroke his face before replied his question: "She's alive, actually I'll have a talk to her later... I need more that potion for you", she whispered in his ear and Cole felt a chill down his spine.

"The potion just forced me to obey, it didn't change my feelings for you... I don't love you and I never will", he said defiantly.

"Oh, you don't love me... I think I'm gonna cry...", she said, mocking him. "Frankly, I give a damn about your feelings... You're here, you're mine and you'll do everything I want from now on. That's all the matters for me", she finished the sentence coldly.

"Seriously? Is that enough for you? You are pitiful, you know that? So powerful, but incapable of loving and being loved", he spoke with contempt in his voice.

"I think you should be careful with your words, my beautiful bird", she warned him.

"My name is Cole and you can go to hell!", he said with anger in his eyes.

Despina rolled her eyes and created a dark smoke in her hand. Cole knew exactly what would happen next. The smoke wrapped his body and he could barely stand the pain. "I offer you a place by my side and you're acting like an idiot... You're so stupid!".

"You... offered me... a cage, and... nothing more... than that", he said, holding his chest, feeling an excruciating pain.

Despina crossed her arms as Cole rolled around the bed, moaning in pain. She looked coldly at him for a few seconds, before left the room: "I'll let you alone now. Maybe the pain will teach you how to control your mouth, my beautiful bird".

When the goddess left her room, she met the demon she saved in the Underworld:

"My beautiful queen...", Barbas made a reverence. The demon of the fear was smiling. He finally got another chance and this time he's more powerful than ever.

Despina smiled. In some way, she liked the flattering. "Does the witch wake up?".

"I think she couldn't sleep...", Barbas grinned.

"I'll go to see her...", she said to him, before called Kaliel.

"My queen", Kaliel made a sign of reverence to her.

"I'll go see the witch. Keep an eye on Cole", she pointed her room.

Barbas remained quietly. Stupid lucky Cole!, he thought, looking at Despina's room. When the goddess found him, she seemed enchanted by the power of the fear and took him with her. Barbas didn't hesitate and agreed immediately to follow her. He took the chance to work with the goddess and maybe reign beside her as king. But, lately, he learned that Cole was the only one Despina wanted by her side. She choose him as her mate and the idiot decided to resist, because he didn't love her, because he didn't want to turn evil again... Cole's weakness made Barba's blood boiled. Power was the only thing that mattered. That half-breed always had the best deals. And he always screwed up thanks to his human soul. Despina have no idea how much Cole loved that witch, she didn't know Cole's past at all. Maybe, just maybe, in the future, he could use that knowledge to his advantage. But, for now, he would just watch...

While Barbas was lost in his jealousy, Despina entered into a dark room, where she found Phoebe lying in the ground with no blanket to warm her.

"You...", the Charmed One whispered, when she opened her eyes. "Where's Cole?", that was the first thing she asked. She didn't care about herself anymore, she didn't care if Despina was gonna to kill her or not. She just wanted to know what happened to him. She would never forgive herself if something bad happened to him because of her, because she throw the potion at him.

"Cole is in my room...", the goddess replied with a nasty smile.

"What you done? How is he?", Phoebe got up with difficult.

"Don't look at me this way... Obviously he's fine. He's resting right now", Despina lied. "He has a special place in my heart, you know... That's why I want to talk to you", she said, caressing Phoebe's face.

"What do you want from me?", the witch pulled away from her terrified.

"The potion...", she replied and Phoebe felt her blood turn into ice.

"No...", Phoebe closed her eyes. Despina wanted to use her to manipulate Cole again, but she never would accept that.

"Think better, witch. You can work for me. I know you can see the future. You have skills I respect. Be by my side and you'll be safe!".

"No... I won't work for you", Phoebe said determined.

"We can make a deal... I saw you at that mausoleum. You want him... I have some contacts in the Underworld, you know... Demons who will follow my orders without questions. You can have a shapeshifter for yourself, if you want. Just make the potion, so the real one will accept me, without resistance", Despina said nastily.

Phoebe had never felt so disgust in her entire life. Despina was completely insane. "You're disgusting! I'll never work for you... Hell will froze before I make Cole vulnerable to your sickness".

Suddenly, Despina's face became very somber. "You'll make more that potion for me. I want him under the potion's effect again!", she said, grabbing Phoebe by the throat. She struggled to breathe, as Despina whispered in her ear: "Don't dare challenge me, witch. You have no power to defend yourself", she told, before let her go.

"I don't care...", Phoebe breathed heavily.

"What?".

"I don't care! You can kill me if you want. But I won't make that potion again. I won't do your dirty work... I won't help you with this!", Phoebe yelled at her.

Despina smiled, as she created the same dark smoke she used on Cole. Phoebe fell on the ground in pain, while the smoke wrapped her entire body. "It's painful, I know that... But I can make the pain go away... Be a nice girl, work for me, help me to control Cole...".

"No...", Phoebe said, as tears came down her face. "I can't... and I won't do this to him".

"Why not? Save yourself!", Despina looked confused at her.

"Truly love him... He... safe", the pain was excruciating and she could barely speak.

Full of anger, Despina held her face and looked into her eyes. She found no fear. And she hated it. That witch would see what the Shadow Queen was capable of. "Stupid witch, I swear I'll break you!".