[004] short and crazy, just the way i like them

                              Eden managed to get only a couple hours of peace inside of her new room.

                              During that time, Eden tried to figure out a plan as to how she was going to get out. They weren't about to just open up the gate for her and let her walk out a free woman. And as much as Eden wanted to steal a gun and start shooting her way out, Eden knew her body would be littered with bullet holes. No, she couldn't leave right away. She needed to wait for a while before that happened. If she was ever going to make it out alive, Eden would have to patiently wait for her own escape. 

                              And that meant she was going to have to find some way to earn Negan's trust.

                             Maybe Eden would have to work on her charm a little more. Remembering his comments about her looks, Eden knew she could do something about that. She'd make him like her, just enough to where she'd get certain freedoms and privileges. And when she had her window of opportunity to leave, then she'd take it. Perhaps she'd find a way to kill him first before she left, just to make sure that he wouldn't be able to follow her. And show his other followers that Eden was not the woman you wanted to fuck with.

                              But first, she'd find a way to win his heart. If he even had one.

                              Vikram fetched her out of her room at Negan's request. As it turned out, he wanted her to have dinner with him. Negan was one strange motherfucker, that was for sure. Maybe he was absolutely fucking insane. Maybe he wanted to test her and see what she'd do. While the thought of grabbing the first sharp object she could and stabbing him in the neck crossed her mind, she knew she wouldn't go far. But it was certainly a nice thought to mull over while she was walking towards Negan's room.

                            "Can you believe that I'm walking around a free woman?" Eden replies, turning to look over at Vikram with a smile. "You and everyone else seemed so sure that I was going to be dead. And now I'm one of you guys."

                            "I wouldn't say you're free," Vikram scoffed.

                            "I'm not six feet under so I guess that means I'm pretty free," Eden remarked.

                            "Don't be so sure of yourself. Even if Negan doesn't kill you, Xavier has it out for you. I'd watch your back. That pretty face of yours isn't going to save you forever," Vikram warned.

                            "Xavier isn't going to do shit to me. And if he tries, I'll handle him the same way I handled Adam," Eden scoffed.

                           "Why did you kill Adam? He didn't do anything to you, did he?" Vikram questioned.

                           Eden shakes her head. "No. He was just easy. You guys seem so tough but he was so gullible. It was a little pathetic. If I didn't kill him, someone else was going to. I just... sped up the process."

                            Vikram grabs Eden by the collar of her shirt, shoving her up against the nearby wall. Eden's a little taken by surprise but she ultimately laughs right in his face. Eden wasn't scared of him in the slightest. The fact that Negan was basically planning on taking Eden under his wing gave her a little more confidence.

                            "I don't think roughing me up before sending me off to your boss is such a good idea," Eden teased. "If I were you, I'd let go of me."

                            "I have no fucking idea what Negan sees in you," Vikram scoffed before letting go of Eden.

                             Eden nearly agrees with him, but she keeps her mouth shut. Silence was the better answer for him. She decides to fix her shirt, motioning for Vikram to walk ahead of her so he could lead her to Negan's room. Vikram grumbles under his breath but he ultimately leads her straight to Negan's room, knocking on the door a couple of times. Only a couple of seconds after Vikram knocks on his door, the door opened and revealed Negan. He looked as though he had just gotten a shower, his hair wet and still slightly messy. He was wearing a clean white t-shirt and jeans, and Eden hates how she finds him attractive.

                             Well, it'd certainly make pretending to like him a lot easier.

                             "There you are, sweetheart. You showed up right on time. Dinner's ready," Negan opens the door a little more and Eden could see that there was warm food on the table. Eden's stomach growls out of hunger. It had been so long since she had gotten a proper meal.

                             Negan's smile grows as he looks at her, a chuckle slipping past his lips. He could see the hunger in her eyes. 

                             Eden smiles, canting her head to the side as she looks up at him. "It really smells nice."

                             "Yeah, it does. Come on in. Vikram, you can go now," Negan replies, nodding in the opposite direction so Vikram could leave.

                             Vikram looks over at Eden for a moment longer before he follows Negan's orders and leaves. Eden walks right into Negan's bedroom and looked around, letting out a low whistle. His room was much nicer than hers and larger too. He had a large, neatly made bed, and he had a bookshelf filled with all sorts of books. He even had a window with a nice view (well, it was as nice as it could be in the area they were in) and a bathroom. She was more than a little jealous, to say the least.

                             "Do you like it?" Negan asked, causing Eden to turn around and look at him. "It's a real bachelor pad, isn't it? I knew this room had to be mine the first time I found it."

                            "It's amazing. How'd you manage to get so lucky?" Eden questioned.

                            "That is a story for another time. Sit down and eat. I had Fat Joey hurry up and bring this up here. I'm not about to let them go to waste," Negan pulled the chair for Eden so she could sit before he sat down across from her.

                            "Who's Fat Joey?" Eden asked as she sat down, glancing down at the food. The smell of it alone was enough to make her mouth water. Living off of beans for who knows what, having a proper meal again was practically heaven to her.

                            "You'll meet him later," Negan replied, "You a fan of spaghetti?"

                            "I'm a really big fan of spaghetti but...," Eden trails off, tearing her gaze away from the food to look up at Negan.

                            "What?" Negan raised a brow.

                              "This isn't some elaborate plot to try and poison me, isn't it? Are you being nice to me and giving me food just to kill me later?" Eden asked.

                              "Nah, poison is for pussies. If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it by now. Lucille would've been happy to assist," Negan answered with a shake of his head.

                              Eden chuckles, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "Then why am I here?"

                              "I'm a nice fucking guy, as long as you stay on my good side. You'll learn that soon enough," Negan nods.

                             "Why am I here in your room then?" Eden grabs the glass of water, taking a large sip from it. She didn't even realize how much she'd miss water until she had it again.

                              "I really see potential in you, Eden. Potential that can help me and this community," Negan answered, watching Eden closely.

                              "But I killed one of your men," Eden pointed out before she picked up her fork and began to eat the food before her. She tries her best to contain her hunger and not eat like a massive slob in front of him. But it was difficult when the food was even better than she could've imagined.

                              "You did. So that's why I'm asking you to take his place," Negan stated in between bites of his own food.

                              "Take his place?" Eden asks with her mouth full. Realizing that she was probably incomprehensible, she finishes eating before asking again. "Take his place?"

                              "Yeah, you managed to survive out there on your own for a long time. You're a stone cold killer and I could use that whenever my crew and I go out on one of our runs. If we run into any enemies, we could definitely use someone like you to fuck them up," Negan remarked.

                               "What if I don't want to?" Eden questioned.

                               Negan leans back in his suit. "There is one other option."

                              "Yes?" Eden raised a brow. She was definitely listening.

                              "Marry me," Negan suggested.

                              "I'm sorry?" Eden nearly choked on her food.

                              "I already have four other wives. It's a nice little system I have going on. Once they marry me, they don't have to do any work and they have all the special privileges that I do. They're treated like queens, all of them," Negan explained further.

                               It sounded nice but Eden didn't trust so easily. She couldn't help but feel as though something's wrong. "What's the catch?"

                               "The catch?" Negan repeats with an amused expression.

                               "You don't get something without having to give something in return. It's just the way the world works," Eden answers.

                              "I don't force 'em to do anything they don't want to do. It's all consensual. Sex is optional, although... I promise you won't be disappointed," Negan clarifies with a smirk.

                               Eden chuckles, playfully rolling her eyes afterwards. "So what? You just have four wives sitting around and looking pretty?"

                              "Pretty much. I take care of them. They don't have to lift a pretty little finger. They get everything they could ever ask for. And you could have that too, if you agree," Negan replied. It was obvious that he wanted her to say yes. Eden supposed that that was why he was treating her to this "fancy" dinner, hoping it would persuade Eden to immediately be wife number five.

                               If Eden agreed to be his wife, then she'd probably never free. No, it wasn't probably. Eden definitely wouldn't be able to leave this damn place if she decided to marry Negan and join his harem of women. It'd work in her favor to help win his heart. But she'd never be able to leave. Eden knew her best bet was to become one of his men, going out on runs to scavenge for food and other supplies. Eden would have to have a weapon and she could easily escape. Eden would be home free.

                              She could probably still try to seduce him, just so she could officially seal the deal. But she wouldn't go as far as "marrying" him. All Eden needed to do was take what she could get before leaving this place behind once and for all. That meant forming no attachments whatsoever.

                              "Being your wife is so tempting but I'll have to turn it down. I'm not made to be a wife, Negan. I'd be of better use to you out there. I've learned a lot out there and I can be a big help to you," Eden replied.

                             "I'm sure you will be. But if you try anything remotely stupid, I won't hesitate to put one goddamn bullet in between those pretty eyes of yours. Is that understood?" Negan warned her. 

                              "Yes, sir," Eden replies, holding his gaze as she shoved more food into her mouth.

                              Negan chuckles. "There it is. That spark in your eyes is hot as shit, Eden. It's kind of a turn on, if I'm being honest. You're short and crazy, just the way I like them."

                              "Really? Then I guess we're going to be getting along quite well," Eden responded, licking her lower lip.

                              Negan chuckles some more. He was already growing to like Eden a lot and maybe her beauty had a lot to do with it. Negan wasn't stupid, of course, and he wasn't going to let his dick completely guide all of his choices. He knew that Eden was dangerous, and truth be told, he had no idea what she was capable of. 

                             But Negan was determined to find out.

                             "Hey, one more thing," Eden adds a moment later, "Do you mind if I use that shower of yours?"

                            Negan smiles. "Sure thing."

                            Eden was definitely going to use Negan's fondness for her to her very advantage.

(🐺🩸🔪)

word count: 2138
notes: here's chapter four! i promise things are going to get interesting pretty soon! eden's about to go on her first run and potentially making some new friends!