Page 77 of Eden's Joker

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Joker

Men started trickling in two days ago and by now, every open area in Justice is black with them. The view of that from the windows of my house on the hill—of hundreds of men come to fight the Devils for me—has been the stuff of dreams to me for years, decades even.

But now, as I see them all here, ready for the final battle, the one that will make my dreams come true, I’d rather the town was empty and all I had to worry about was keeping Eden happy.

She won’t be happy once I tell her what’s going on. Though I’m sure she already knows.

I glance over my shoulder at the bed where she’s sleeping naked, on top of the covers, the nightstands and parts of the bed covered by books she likes to readby candlelight when she can’t sleep. And when we’re not doing other things.

We’ve been doing a lot ofother things. I’ve had her every which way now and I still crave more. Never thought it would happen. Not for me. Especially since what I’ve started to crave more and more is waking up with her in my arms, or falling asleep that way. If someone said this would be me three months ago, I’d have laughed in their face and called them crazy.

And if someone said I’d abandon my revenge against the Devils for her, I’d have done the same.

I’ve been doing the same. Because there have been whispers. Loud enough that I must keep her under lock and key in this house, because I’m afraid someone will take her away from me, do all the things to her I said I would before I fell in love with her.

Once this is all over, I’ll take her somewhere quiet. Just the two of us and the open road. Lately, I’ve been fantasizing more about that than I do about winning my war against the Devils.

But I don’t know if there will be anafter. She might never forgive me. But I’ve always had big dreams and I’ve always fought tooth and nail to make them come true. This will be no different. However long it takes, she will be mine.

She stirs and opens her eyes, sees me watching her and smiles.

“What are you doing way over there?” she asks, stretching her hand towards me. I know exactly howthat hand feels every which way. I know how it tastes. I don’t ever want to have to forget that.

“I have to go work,” I tell her. It’s what I’ve been calling it when I leave her here alone. Or with Scorpio, because he’s still the only one I truly trust to keep her safe for me.

She gets up and walks to me, pressing her soft, pliant body against my side as she hugs me. But her body turns rigid as she sees the sea of men gathered in the town. At least a hundred more came overnight.

“This town wasn’t built for that many people,” she says quietly. “Why do you need them here?”

“That’s my business,” I say softly.

She’s been asking this question a lot and I’ve not been giving her an answer. I can’t lie to her, and I can’t tell her the truth.

I think she knows the truth anyway. I think she’s pretending too—dreaming too—that I’m not still out to get her family.

“You’re preparing for battle,” she says, her green eyes that remind me of a forest I could wander for the rest of my days hard and unreachable. I guess the pretending and dreaming is over.

“Yes.”

“Against my family,” she says. It’s not a question.

“Yes.”

“You don’t have to do this. There’s magic in forgiveness. In letting go. Think about us.”

I haven’t stopped thinking about her since I mether. I have my arm around her shoulders and she’s hugging me around my waist. I’ve never been so close to a person and yet so far away. I can already feel her gone and it’s not something I ever want to feel.

“I think about us all the time.” The words just roll off my tongue. It’s the truth, but a pointless thing to say in this context.

“Think of all the dead then,” she says. “Can you live with them on your conscience?”

That answer has always been a clearyesfor me. Now it’s a maybe, and not even a definite one. I can’t. Not if I don’t have her. And I will lose her. I already feel her slipping away.

But I only feel like this here, when I’m alone with her. Down there, surrounded by all that bloodlust and hate, I feel like I used to. Like a killer hunting killers. Most of the time anyway.

I release her and start dressing. She continues to gaze out the window.

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