Third Time Charmed

Hell Hath No Fury (Part 7)

A/N: Did you know that Third Time Charmed is listed on GoodReads? You can add it to your "Currently Reading" shelf by searching for the title or visiting goodreads.com/tezofalltrades. I hope you enjoy this dramatic conclusion to Hell Hath No Fury.

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With Cole, the imposing, six-foot-two half-demon, writhing in agony on the floor by the stairs, Paige had no trouble embracing her fear and successfully Orbing. "I think I did it again," she celebrated, despite the looming confrontation.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" Cole pleaded with the ghosts of his past, his face red from the strain of the Furies' mental attack.

Suddenly, a Fury barged through the front door, growling and flexing her forked hands.

"Here we go," Prue rallied, stalking forward at once to engage her.

"But how do we, err...vanquish them?" Paige murmured, watching in morbid fascination as Prue expertly dodged, then ducked, separate slashes of the she-demon's sharp talons, punched her in the gut, elbowed her in the face upon rising, and then telekinetically retrieved the knife from the coffee table and drove its blade up into her chest. "Oh, like that, I guess."

The Fury screeched as she burned up and turned to ash. Unfortunately, she took the athame along with her, leaving Prue unarmed against two more foes that were immune to her power, and considering whether they should keep a stock of weapons on hand for when company called uninvited.

"Prue!" Paige called, alerting her to Piper's arrival. She had Smoked in, in maroon Furies' garb, with her other new comrade near the dining room. She placed her hands on Cole's head. He appeared to be unconscious, or worse, apparently overwhelmed by their proximity to him. Thankfully, though, Piper still had five fingers on each hand.

"A decoy? You'll have to do better than that, sis," Prue muttered before closing her eyes and letting her chin fall. A second later, she Astral Projected behind them, grabbed the second Fury by the arm, and swung her across the sitting room. "Keep her busy!"

Using her momentum against her, Leo pushed the Fury all the way into the sunroom to isolate her.

Piper's eyes darted from Prue to Cole and back. "Be honest, Piper, it's me you want, not him," Prue told her, blocking her path to the man. "Unleash all your anger on me. I can take it. I deserve it."

Piper growled in response and began clawing at Prue.

Paige hovered behind Leo, unsure what to do as he tried valiantly to keep the empowered demon woman at bay. Deciding that she wasn't going to be much help, Paige ran to get the Book of Shadows. "Please let there be something in here," she whined as the sounds of battle sounded around her.

"Argh!" Leo cried out as his left arm was lacerated by the enraged Fury's talon. Luckily, his Regeneration power was triggered, and the wound healed over with a flash of gold.

A thought occurring to her, Paige rapidly flipped the pages of the book until it landed on the spell she had used earlier that day. Maybe this time, it would work as intended. She picked up the book and carried it open in her arms to the sunroom just as the Fury backhanded Leo, sending him flying across the room with her unnatural strength. He landed hard on top of the white patio table and chairs.

When the demon set her sights on Paige, she ad-libbed at speed, "Cruelty, pain, and evil ways...this Fury brings...with deadly haze. Reverse the torment she creates, now turn on her...and seal her fate?"

With the utterance of her final word, the advancing Fury swiped at Paige. However, she Orbed out just in time to avoid it, causing the book to drop to the floor with a thud. When she returned to the same spot a moment later, she found the Fury on her knees, gasping for air, clutching her throat as smoke billowed from her mouth.