The Darkest Love Maleficent X Hades

26 Not as good as she seems

Maleficent POV

The air outside the school is thick with tension, the kind that prickles your skin and sets your nerves on edge. We stand just outside the main entrance, waiting in the eerie quiet. The storm from the night before has cleared, but there's still a weight in the air. Uliana stands beside me, her arms crossed and her tentacles fidgeting, betraying her impatience.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Uliana asks, her voice skeptical, eyes flicking between me and the school doors.

"Yes," I say, keeping my tone steady. "She just has to come out, and I'll convince her, one way or the other." I shoot her a sideways glance as she rolls her eyes, clearly still unconvinced. We've been through enough of these situations to know it doesn't always go as planned, but I've never been more sure of something in my life.

For a while, it's just us standing there. The silence feels heavy, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. Suddenly, Hades breaks it, his deep voice cutting through the stillness. "Oh, there she finally is."

I spin around, annoyed. "Morgie, you were supposed to—" I start, about to yell at Morgie for losing focus, since he was supposed to warn us, but then I see him a few paces away, deep in conversation with James. They're standing a little too close, heads tilted toward each other, their laughter carrying softly through the air. I shake my head, more amused than angry, and turn my focus back to the entrance.

I nod at Uliana, signaling her. Without a word, one of her tentacles snakes out and wraps itself around Ella's body the moment she steps through the door. The girl doesn't even have time to react before she's yanked into our corner of the courtyard, her scream barely leaving her lips.

"Oh, what?!" Ella squeaks, her eyes wide with panic.

"Zip it," Uliana hisses, tightening her grip as she pushes Ella against the stone wall near the stairs. Ella's breathing comes in shallow bursts, her gaze darting between us, trying to figure out what we want.

"What do you want from me now?" she stammers, fear bright in her eyes. "If you want to know where Brid—"

"We don't want that" I cut in, stepping forward. I hold up the magic cookbook, letting it catch the faint light. Her eyes widen even more when she sees it. "You're going to open this up. Right now. Or I'm going to make you." My eyes flash green, the threat clear in my voice.

Ella freezes, looking from me to the book, then back again. Her breath catches, and for a second, she doesn't respond. Then, to my surprise, she sighs and nods. "Okay, okay, I'll do it," she says quickly, her voice tinged with defeat.

I blink, caught off guard. "What?" Uliana steps forward, her disbelief mirroring my own.

"You don't care what we're going to do with it?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at her. It can't be this easy.

Ella shakes her head. "No. I mean, I can guess what you want it for. It's obvious. But I don't care, as long as you leave me alone." There's a certain desperation in her voice now, as if she's been cornered enough times to know when to fold.

I exchange a glance with Hades and Uliana, and we share a satisfied grin. This is going better than I'd expected.

"Seems like you aren't as good as you seem," Hades comments, amusement dancing in his voice. Ella glares at him, but the fear is still there.

"Sometimes," she starts, her voice shaky but determined, "you can't afford to play it clean. I'm not a total saint, but I'm not evil either. No one is. It's not always black and white. It's mor—"

"Yeah, yeah, okay. You're not an asshole, you just don't want to get hurt. We get it," Uliana interrupts, sounding utterly bored with Ella's moral lecture. "Now, open the book."

She releases Ella from her grip and hands her the book. Ella takes it, her hands trembling slightly, but she doesn't hesitate. She stares at the skeleton lock for a moment, her expression distant, like she's making a choice. For a brief second, she freezes, and I think she's going to back out, but then she lets out a shaky breath and twists the lock.

As soon as the skeleton hands release, a burst of purple light shoots out, and the eerie glow of magic fills the air. The lock clicks open, and tiny glittering sparks fall like enchanted dust, slowly dissolving into the air.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Uliana cackles, her eyes wild with triumph as she snatches the book from Ella's hands. "My revenge is going to be amazing!" She flips through the pages excitedly, her movements jittery with exhilaration.

I smirk at the scene. I knew this would work. It's not about revenge for me, not really, but there's a certain satisfaction in proving myself right. I don't care if Uliana thanks me for it. She's irrelevant. What matters is that the book is open, and I was right.

Hades moves beside me, slipping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. His lips brush my ear as he whispers, "You did amazing." The warmth of his breath sends a shiver down my spine, and a small smile tugs at my lips as he presses a soft kiss to my cheek.

"Alright, lovebirds, come on," Uliana barks, still riding the high of her victory. "And you," she snaps at Ella, "vanish. I don't want to see your face again."

Ella doesn't need to be told twice. She bolts, practically sprinting away from us, her footsteps echoing in the now-empty courtyard.

James and Morgie finally approach, James still looking flustered and trying to come up with some excuse. "We weren't doing anything—" he starts, but Uliana cuts him off with a sharp wave of her hand.

"Tonight, we make that stupid cupcake," she announces, eyes gleaming as she holds up the cookbook. "Tomorrow, the real fun begins."

Morgie nods eagerly, excitement lighting up his face, but James is too distracted, grinning like a fool, probably still thinking about Morgie. I roll my eyes, stifling a laugh.

Hades and I exchange a look, both of us silently agreeing that we've had enough of the group for now. Without a word, we break off from the others and sit down on the stone steps near the entrance.

"You know," I say, leaning back slightly as I stretch my legs out, "I don't even care about Uliana's revenge. But proving a point? That I loved."

Hades glances at me, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, but his attention seems elsewhere. I follow his gaze and burst out laughing when I see what he's staring at. Carved into the stone railing beside us is a small heart, with our initials scrawled inside.

"Oh my god, is this your doing?" I tease, giving him a playful nudge.

"What? No, of course not," he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. But the faint blush on his cheeks gives him away.

"Uh-huh, sure," I say, grinning as I roll my eyes. "As if you're not getting soft on me."

He chuckles, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me closer. "Maybe I am. But only for you," he murmurs, his voice dropping into a playful whisper. I tilt my head to meet his gaze, my smile softening as he leans in, pressing his lips gently to my forehead.

"Not complaining about that," I say, the warmth between us making everything else disappear. "But we're still evil, remember?"

He laughs, low and deep. "Oh, that's never going to change."

Just as he says that, his eyes flash with a mischievous glow. A few feet away, a kid hurries past, clutching his books close. With a subtle flick of Hades' hand, the kid's books burst into flames. The poor guy screams and scrambles away, desperately trying to douse the fire as he runs off into the distance.

I laugh, the sound echoing through the night. "Only soft for me, huh?" I say, shaking my head, still grinning.

"Only for you," Hades confirms, his voice full of playful promise.