[006] the devil's in her eyes

                                   Negan was beginning to trust Eden little by little, finding her to be a lot more useful than she appeared to be. He wasn't completely stupid though. He just wasn't going to let her walk around with the keys to his fucking kingdom. But Negan was still determined to try and break her, domesticate her in a way. Eden had been on her own for so long that she didn't really know how to be a team player. Negan was hopeful that he'd beat that rebellious spirit right out of her.

                                   Metaphorically, of course. Negan was too much of a fucking gentleman to ever hit a lady. He wasn't above the occasional threat or two though.

                                   Eden was taking all of this as an opportunity to learn more about her surroundings. Maybe even make an alliance or two. She'd use anything and anyone to get her way out here and go wherever it was the wind blew. Eden wasn't made to be some pretty bird trapped in some cage. She was made to be free, roaming around solely to destroy everything in her path.

                                   Xavier doesn't look too pleased to see Eden still alive and walking around. But he had learned to bite his tongue. And Eden was grateful for that since she really wasn't in the mood to sucker punch him for the second time in a row. Unfortunately, Xavier was the one who gave Eden her orders for the day, so they were stuck being around each other. As for the whole errand thing, Negan knew it'd be smart to keep Eden busy. And to also keep track of her. He couldn't let her slip through the cracks and cause trouble. Negan could see it in her eyes, that devious glint he recognized so well. If he left her to his own devices, it'd spell nothing but trouble.

                                   So, if it meant making her work, then so be it.

                                  "Drop off this alcohol over into the wives' room. They've been beginning to run low," Xavier orders, motioning towards the two crates positioned carefully on the two-wheel dolly. "Think you can handle that, sweetheart. Or is that too much effort?"

                                  "Definitely. Just, uh, try not to miss me too much," Eden retorts as she grabs the dolly, beginning to push it forward.

                                  Xavier muttered something under his breath before he stormed off, leaving Eden to go ahead and push the cart inside of the room. She's immediately hit with the scent of perfume, seeing four women lounging around the room and looking bored out of her mind. They were all wearing black dresses, their hair and makeup looking like something out of the magazines. She feels stares head her way as she makes her way over to the bar, unloading one box when she heard whispers. 

                                   It instantly triggers Eden, reminding her of when she'd be at school and hearing the other students whisper about her and her shitty family. They had all judged her rather than try to help. It reminded Eden of when she had been let go from the force after killing that abusive asshole, her own coworkers looking at her and talking about her like she had been the one in the wrong. Eden sucks in a sharp breath before she stands up straight, deciding to stare right back at them with a scowl.

                                   And it'd go wrong, as you'd expect.

                                   "You got a staring problem or something?" one of them, a tall red head, scoffed.

                                   "I think the only one with a problem is you, bitch," Eden retorted.

                                   The red head gasps. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

                                   "I don't think she does. She must be the new girl, Negan's newest project," the next one, a dark-skinned woman with curly black hair chimed in.

                                   "I'm not Negan's anything," Eden's quick to argue.

                                   "Sure you aren't. We're Negan's wives, darling, and I'd watch your tone if I were you," the blonde wife quickly added, eyes narrowed and her hands on her hips. With one look, Eden could tell that she seemed to be the leader of the pack.

                                   Eden laughs. She couldn't help herself since all of the women tried so hard to be intimidating. "So you're his harem. Negan's got you all hiding in here, huh? Do you guys have designated days to be with him? Monday's yours, Tuesday's hers, and so on? What a life."

                                   "You can judge us if you want but do it on your own time. Just hurry up and drop off the booze," the blonde ordered.

                                   Of course the liquor was for all of them. Eden couldn't help but find it a little pathetic. Instead of fighting back or just killing the motherfucker in his sleep, they had all just accepted their fates. There wasn't much fight left in them, except for the feisty blonde.

                                   "Sure thing...," Eden trailed off.

                                   "Delilah," she introduces herself, turning around and acting as though Eden didn't exist. The other wives pretty much followed suit. 

                                   Eden nods before she drops off the liquor, stocking everything except for a small bottle of whiskey which she kept hidden in her back pocket. She was pushing the limits, but Eden needed a drink. So much so that she was willing to steal for it. Stealing was the least of her sins. As she made her escape, however, Delilah decided to acknowledge Eden's presence one last time.

                                   "See ya around, Eden," Delilah remarked.

                                   She paused, wondering how Delilah knew her name. But she realized that it was more than likely that Negan had told her. The fact that Negan was talking about her to other people bothered her.

                                   But Eden leaves nonetheless, dropping off her stolen goods to her room. She keeps it hidden underneath her bed, not wanting to risk it by being careless. And then Eden leaves out of her room, preparing to find Xavier to figure out her next task. However, as she walks down the long hallway by herself, she wouldn't be prepared for the sudden attack behind her back.

                               Tackled from behind, Eden falls to the ground in an instant, her assailant flipping her over and she's able to see that it was another woman. Her skin was tan, and her eyes were dark with fury, her curly brown hair parted in two long cornrows. She prepared to punch Eden, only for Eden to catch her fist just in time and glare up at her.

                                "Who the fuck are you?" Eden questioned.

                                "A friend of Adam's," is all she says before punching Eden in the nose with her free hand.

                                Eden heard the crack first before she could feel the white-hot pain from the impact, blood gushing from her nose. But Eden has no time to let it slow her down. Before she could get another chance to hit Eden again, Eden uses all of the strength she has left to push the woman off of her. She falls and Eden staggers to her feet, raising up her fists and getting into a fighting stance. The other woman also gets up, rushing towards Eden with all of her might. She was angry and yet it'd be her rage that'd ultimately be her undoing. 

                              She punches Eden a couple more times - once in the eye and twice in the mouth - and Eden had to admit that the woman packed one hell of a punch. She succeeds in pushing Eden up against the wall before Eden headbutts her as hard as she can, making the woman stumble back and clutch onto her head in pain. Eden doesn't relent, punching her in the face before taking her down to the ground. She climbs on top of her before she starts to punch her over and over again, feeling her knuckles burn from the repeated punches. And yet she couldn't stop herself, not until she felt a pair of strong hands grip onto her and pull her back.

                              Eden fights against their grip, ending up falling to the ground. She glares up to see that it was Malcolm and while she relaxes a little, she was still pretty pissed at being stopped. It had been a while since Eden had been able to let go like that. "Why the fuck did you stop me? She attacked me!"

                             "I know. Doesn't mean I have to let you beat her to death," Malcolm explained, looking over at the woman who began to roll over and cough. "Sabrina, are you alright?"

                            "You're asking her if she's alright?" Eden asks, ignoring the faint ringing she heard in her ears.

                            "I have a feeling you'll be fine compared to her. You did more than enough damage,

                            Eden scoffs. "Are you gonna tell Negan about this?"

                            "Of course not. You're lucky I was the one that found you and not him. He probably would've let you two keep fighting until one of you died,

                           "Sounds like him," Eden scoffs, faltering slightly as a thought suddenly popped up into her mind. "You're not protecting him to save my ass though, are you? You're keeping quiet to protect her... and yourself."

                           "Eden -," Malcolm began to say.

                          "Also, it just seems a little too convenient that you just happened to show up at the right time. Did you know about this shit? Did you know that she was going to attack me?" Eden interrogated.

                           "I didn't think she'd actually do it. She cared for Adam a lot, just as others did. But I never thought she'd go through with her threats," Malcolm reasoned.

                           Eden's eyes narrow. "Bullshit. You knew. You wouldn't have come here if you did."

                          "I guess... I guess I just wanted to stop her before she did something stupid," Malcolm admits with a sigh.

                          "Too fucking late for that, buddy. I'm going to make sure your friend, Sabrina, here pays for what she tried to do to me," Eden remarked.

                          "You're not going to tell, are you?" Malcolm questioned, earning a true and genuine laugh from Eden.

                           Eden stands up to her feet, licking her upper lip and tasting the dark blood which now stained her lips. She glared down at Sabrina, beginning to approach her with a dark look in her eyes. "No, I'm not going to tell. Not that anyway."

                           "What's that supposed to mean?" Malcolm questioned.

                           But Eden just smiles at them both, showing off her bloodied teeth in the process.

                           "Lookie what we have here! I wasn't aware we were having a party!" Negan declared from behind them all.

                          They all turned to see Negan standing there, Xavier right by his side. He took one look at both Malcolm and Sabrina, the smug look on his face faltering in an instant.

                         "Xavier here was telling me that he hadn't heard from you in a while, sweetheart. He looked so happy too, hoping you had screwed up just like he said you wouldn't. Isn't that right, Xavier?" Negan started.

                        "Um... I, uh...," Xavier stammered, struggling to form some sort of response.

                        "Cat got your tongue? Don't tell me you forgot already! Anyway, he made me get up to go and find you. But it didn't take very long so do you mind explaining what the fuck is going on here? Negan continued.

                       "Sabrina attacked me, all in the name of avenging Adam or some bullshit like that. I defended myself," Eden reasoned, despite the fact that Sabrina had fared a lot worse than Eden had.

                       "Is this true?" Negan asks Sabrina next.

                        Sabrina glares at Eden for a moment before reluctantly nodding her head.

                         "I don't think she was alone," Eden quickly adds, making Malcolm's heart skip a beat out of worry and fear.

                        "What's that supposed to mean?" Negan inquired.

                        "I think... Xavier helped her. I mean, it's just too convenient that after he sends me off, I'm attacked," Eden replied, making Malcolm relax and Xavier scowl.

                        "You fucking -," Xavier begins.

                        Negan holds up a gloved hand which shuts him up in an instant, saying, "That's a pretty bold accusation, darling. You sure about it?"

                         "I've never been more sure of anything in my life," Eden nodded. "He's always had it out for me. I wouldn't put it past him to try and get me beat up. It's just a shame his little plain failed."

                        "Mm. Well, if you're absolutely sure, I guess a little interrogation has to be done to make sure. Xavier, help the lady up. Eden here fucked her up. Honestly, I'm scared and impressed at the same time. And a little turned on, but that's neither here nor there. How is it that even with a black eye you still manage to be so damn cute?" Negan remarked.

                        "Oh, stop it," Eden drawled. "You're making me blush."

                        "I try. We don't have all day, Xavier. Get moving," Negan ordered.

                        Xavier shoots Eden another look before he goes over to where Sabrina lied on the floor, picking her up and following behind Negan to his room so they could talk. With it just now being Malcolm and Eden alone in the hallway, he walks over to her.

                         "Why did you help me out back there?" Malcolm questioned.

                         "It wasn't to help you. You are the only way I can figure out this place and try to stay afloat. And you command some sort of respect, don't you? I could really use that right now," Eden explained with a small shrug.

                          "You're blackmailing me?" Malcolm scoffs in disbelief.

                          "It could be a lot worse, Malcolm. Trust me. Fuck me over and I will make sure you live to regret it," Eden threatens, flashing him a small smile before she storms off to her room.

                         Once inside, she made sure to try and take care of the few wounds she had. Eden knew that her nose was going to be the biggest issue, giving herself no other choice but to push it back into place. Through gritted teeth, Eden does exactly that and feels the pain shoot throughout her senses after that. But the pain is a familiar feeling for her, one she finds comfort in since it was all she had ever known.

                         And she planned to use it so she could keep going with her master plan.

( 🐺🩸🔪)

word count: 2424
notes: i know it has been MONTHS since i actually updated this but due to a random stroke of inspiration, i decided to upload again! i am not giving up on this story (i'm too attached to eden's crazy ass) but updates will be slower compared to my other fics. so with that being said, i hope you all like this one!