Chapter 7: Romance Is Dead

The queue started at Phoebe's door and went all the way down the stairs and flooded the street. Cole couldn't see the end of it from the corner. Seemed like all demons wanted to take advantage of the rare event of an audience taking place at the Halliwell manor. The half demon made his way up energetically, shoving the pale, spiky demon who was standing right at Phoebe's door out the way, "is there anybody in with her?"

"Of course. What do you think we are, idiots!" The square shaped demon who was second in the line retorted.

"Take your place at the end," the spiky demon pushed Cole back away from the queue, "there can't be any violence in this house, cause we will all get thrown out and never get to see any of the charmed ones."

"Oh, watch it, they might even vanquish you for misconduct," Cole mocked him, "look at me. Do you know who I am?"

"One of the charmed one's ex husband," they were never allowed to call the sisters by name, "so what? If she wanted you, you wouldn't be standing in a queue for audience, you would shimmer in."

"I'm also happen to be called Belthazor," he tried to use his remaining reputation, if it still meant anything around here.

"So? Three ex Sources are standing peacefully somewhere in the back. I suggest you join them."

"What is you business here? Why do you want to see Phoebe?"

The hedgehoglike demon looked around nervously, hoping the guards didn't witness Cole's transgression of uttering the name, cause if one did, his best option was to disappear so he doesn't get vanquished along with the offender standing right next to him, "that is between her majesty and me."

"Are you sure it is her majesty," he gestured with his index finger high in the air and rolled his eyes at the last word, "who can solve your problem? Anyway, whatever you're wanting, I'm quite sure you can't pay her for her efforts."

"We all know she's a nymphomaniac," the demon whispered, "and I'm as good as a man as anybody else."

"And we all know she's obsessed with sexuality because she can't have me. Do you really think she wants to get intimate with someone with spikes? How about you give her what she really wants? Me. Then you'll get everything you came here for. You have my word. What do you have to loose? If I'm wrong, she's vanquish me in two seconds flat."

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Phoebe was scribbling down something at her dresser that was moved a bit forward and currently served as a bureau, with several strange and old books on it, that would've fitted his table more than hers, including the History Of Demonkind and Roman Law, "next! State the matter of your visit," she said, without looking up.

"To finish this between us for once and all," Cole kneeled down with one leg at the other side of the her dresser as he knew was expected from all followers of the triumvirate.

"You are finished," she leaned back on her seat for a few seconds, smirking and admiring the view, "out or I use the potion on you. I'm keeping an audience."

"I stood in the queue to get to you. As a demon, I'm entitled for you to listen."

"In that case," she graciously strolled over to him, stroked his face in a similar manner and pulled him up to herself, their mouths millimetres away. She placed her hand to his chest as if to support herself for a kiss, but when her fingers found their way between the buttons of his shirt and the abundant hair on his torso, Cole felt something similar to a current going through his body, rooted in his heart and sending searing pain right until the tip of his fingers and making him collapse onto the ground.

"Extreme sadness causes physical pain," Phoebe went back energetically to where he saw her on entrance, "my new power," she explained, "great, huh? Comes from my empathic abilities, but now I can cause any emotion in any other person while my touch lasts. I wasn't sure if it works on demons as well, but now I know," she waved him out, not really interested in what he had to say.

It took a certain determination from Cole to get himself together and on his feet. Phoebe's prank worked better than she could ever imagine. Cause the feeling she caused was the exact same he experienced all by himself anyway, and it was doubled this way. Cole wasn't sure which was worse, to see this bitter Phoebe who enjoyed hurting him so much or the fact that he was going to kill her. He stood for a second, staring at her, the stray locks of hair that curled in front of her eyes as she resumed writing, the negligee of her top with a good view on the better part of her breasts as he was standing right at the best angle, her drive that always propelled her forward no matter what she thought her aim was at the time.

"Should I call the guards to get rid of you?" She glanced up, not even considering him as a threat for a millisecond.

"You're in grave danger...from your sisters," he blurted out the only thing he could think of that could've made her change her mind from throwing him out legs flying.

"I know," she gave him some attention right enough, "but once they find out I have an active power too, they'll be okay with me."

"It doesn't matter anymore. Your sisters not only want you dead, but they have found a way to keep the throne to themselves by closing their eyes over the conspiracy of the Pearl Covet, the ones that have the Book Of Shadows now. Paige used her orbs to pose as a whitelighter and provided them with a potion that contains your blood, which you know is the most effective way of getting any demon vanquished. Even the most powerful kind of ex witches."

"How do you know all this? They would surely keep it quiet from you in case you still feel for me," Phoebe theorised matter of factly.

"Yes, they would. But I got suspicious and followed Leo around for a while when he also talked to the Covet."

"Leo? Can't be. He's only on evil's side cause he is under Piper's thumb. Just like you are under mine's," she acknowledged, as if talking to a simple pawn. She was so used to being a sort of queen.

"That's right. He does whatever Piper tells him to do. Now it's this. They plan to attack later on today."

"We need to strike first. You know this Covet. How strong are they? Could the two of us take them?"

"With your new power, absolutely," Cole lied continuously, "the sooner the better. Maybe they didn't replicate the potion yet."

"You know where they reside," Phoebe approached him giving him her hand to let herself shimmered, "but wait," she halted the action with a gesture of her other hand, "I just wanna say thank you. For your loyalty. You will be crowned as my king for your services," she half dropped the mask of a stuffed up princess, "and that means you will have privileges and nobody can play farces on you. Not even me," she added self-consciously, with all the remaining goodness that was somewhere still left in her. She stood on her tiptoes and raised her hand to his neck to lower him for a short kiss.

"I'm sorry," Cole let her go as he shimmered them inside of a crystal circle at the Covet during the kiss, where he was supposed to take her. He dematerialised right away, not standing around to watch the vanquish, taking the thoroughly shaking Leo with him from the floor where he cherished Piper's wedding ring. They both have completed their assignments with success and if they could believe the gatekeeper, they will be allowed to see the real sisters pretty soon.

tbc