“I think you mean scarier,” Jeremy muttered from his corner. “She hasn’t even smiled.”
“She just watched your captain beat the shit out of a guy in front of thousands of people,” Hook pointed out, adjusting the rings on his fingers like he was dressing for war. “Maybe she’s processing, Jeremy.”
“Or traumatized,” Jafar added dryly. “Hard to tell with women like her.”
“Women like what?” I cut in, lifting an eyebrow.
Jafar met my gaze evenly. “The kind who know the weight of their silence.”
That shut them all up for a beat.
Then Gideon let out a dramatic groan. “God, even your wife is intimidating. Where do you find these women?”
“I don’t find them,” Hades said calmly, not looking up from where he was unlacing his skates. “They find me. Then they stay.”
“I wouldn’t say stay so much as get shackled to a heating vent with velvet cuffs,” Hook said, kicking off a shin pad. “But hey, I respect your brand.”
“Velvet’s a good touch,” Gang Lu murmured, finally speaking. His voice was low, smooth. “Looks soft. Doesn’t leave bruises.”
Everyone turned slowly to stare at him.
He blinked. “What?”
Hades smirked. “Lu’s not wrong.”
“Oh, you would agree,” Gideon said, flopping back against the bench like a tragic prince. “Meanwhile, Belle slaps me for texting her past midnight.”
“That’s because you text her ‘u up?’ like a frat boy,” Jafar muttered. “And she has actual standards.”
“She sent me a playlist last week,” Gideon said defensively.
“Of break-up songs,” Jeremy replied, deadpan.
“Guys, guys,” Hook chimed in, hands raised like a referee. “Let’s not distract from the real issue here.”
“And what’s that?” I asked.
He grinned at me, all teeth and trouble. “That our ice-cold captain is finally whipped.”
The room howled with laughter, except for Hades—who didn’t move, didn’t blink, just looked straight at Hook like he was already calculating the body count.
“Careful,” he said quietly. “Wouldn’t want me distracted next time you’re on defense.”
Hook’s grin faltered. “Noted.”
“All right, lovebirds,” Jafar cut in. “We’re grabbing drinks before the press run. You coming, Hades?”
“No,” Hades said. “I’ve got… other plans.”
Every villain in the room turned to look at me. I felt the heat creep up my neck but refused to squirm.
Gideon clutched his chest again, mock-swooning. “She’s staying after the game? God, just marry her again.”
“Twice if you want the tax break,” Hook offered, heading for the exit.
“Or the murder defense,” Jeremy added as he followed, eyes still fixed on me in that unnerving way of his.
Jafar passed by me last, pausing just long enough to lean in and say, “Don’t let him scare you.”
