Eden's Joker (Devil’s Nightmare MC Next Generation, Book 7)

Chapter 48

So far, the peace talks have been anything but peaceful. Just a lot of arguing and shouting, insults flying back and forth and a couple of fights that very nearly ended the whole ceasefire thing before it even became a thing. A quarter of my MC rode away, fuming, calling me a traitor and worse. Some of the men from the MCs that joined us left too, but not the ones in charge.

Seems most actually want the war to end. I just wish they’d be better at articulating this so we can finally come to terms.

It’s getting dark outside, stars are popping up in the pale indigo sky and I want to go find Eden and our bed. I’m longing for it, actually. The room we’re in is stuffy despite all the windows and doors being open.

We began this meeting sitting at tables facing each other. One row for the Devils, another for us. Now only Cross and me are still sitting, the rest are either pacing up and down, leaning on walls or the bar. Some have long since left the room. Scorpio among the first. He hasn’t said so, but maybe he’s mad that I ended this war the way I did. I came up with the plan to get revenge on the Devils in large part to make up for all the shit he went through after the Devils killed off our families. He’s probably getting drunk by himself somewhere. I should go check on him.

Cross slams his fist against the table, which works to get the attention of most of the guys in here. Something he’s used to commanding, I’m sure. Even I get a little twinge to fall in line when he’s talking.

“We’re getting nowhere with this,” he says. “Let’s talk reparation. Maybe that’ll speed things along.”

“What’s reparation?” Sting asks and several others want to know the same thing.

“Damages,” I say. “He wants to pay us to keep us in line from now on.”

“And to make up for mistakes made in the past,” he says, piercing me with his very dark and very hard eyes.

If I didn’t know any better I’d think the man is actually trying to apologize for killing my parents.

“How much?” Spider asks. He’s a member of one of the MCs that suffered the greatest losses in this war, including the loss of their entire clubhouse.

“Enough to rebuild,” Cross says. “We won’t be giving you weapons, but I’m willing to give you money. A million to each club.”

A few surprised curses echo across the room. The Devils must be fucking loaded if he’s offering this much.

Haggling ensues and after some more yelling and cursing we finally settle on a million five for each MC. Along with a treaty to never attack each other again in any way or for any reason. He didn’t go as far as to demand an alliance—a smart move since he wouldn’t have gotten it. He also doesn’t ask us to seal it with blood, like I half expected him to do. He might be getting on in years, but he’s still an intense guy. One used to getting the things he wants.

I’ve already done very well for the Lost Sons from this war, with the takeovers of the defeated MCs business lines. That and this money should see us right or the rest of our lives. Probably for the rest of our children’s lives too. Children that we’ll all get to have if this peace holds. I hope it does.

But by the time it’s all done and settled, I’m already regretting it. It’s just blood money as payment for a blood debt. Not nearly enough.

But then I remember Eden warming the bed for me up in the house and it seems like a good trade again.

I’m among the first to leave as the meeting concludes. Fires have gone up all over town again, and Scorpio is sitting by one of them with Karma and the Forsaken Outlaws prez Grim. They seem deep in some sort of big discussion, or more like at the end of a heated discussion. I never knew they were close enough to have one of those. Every time I saw him with Karma she was chasing him away. Now she’s got her hand on his leg like she actually cares about him. It’s been a while since I actually paid attention to them. Or anyone else. I’ve been so focused on Mission Eden and the war. I should remedy that soon. But not right now. Eden has waited long enough.

Our bedroom window is aglow with an amber light. She must be burning her candles again. They came with the house, and I can already smell the honey-scented smoke they give off. Just like I can already kinda feel her kisses and her touch.

“Joker,” Ice calls out as I start up the hill. “A word.”

“I think we’ve done enough talking for one night, don’t you?” I say as I turn.

Peace treaties and reparations are all well and good, but they’re never getting my friendship. Let alone my forgiveness. That part Eden’s just gonna have to live with.

“Thank you for not hurting my daughter,” he says.

“She had more to do with that than either of us,” I say.

He clears his throat and I’m sure he’s about to say some vaguely threatening crap like fathers always seem compelled to say to their daughters’ men. Or more like straight up threatening, given who I am and who he is.

“For what it’s worth, if I could go back to the day your parents died, I’d do things differently,” he says instead.

“It’s not worth much,” I say after pausing long enough to get my mind straight. “I love your daughter, but that doesn’t change anything between us. We’re not gonna be friends.”

Ice nods. “Fair enough. But treat her right.”

And there it is. The threat.

“I will,” I tell him and refrain from saying that it’s gonna start right now.

I don’t want him anywhere near us, and especially not in my head.

I walk away after that, and he doesn’t stop me. And with each step I take up the hill towards the house, he fades from my mind more and more. Along with the pictures telling the story of my parents’ death. Now they’re just yellowed, faded photographs where they used to be so vivid I could smell the blood.

What’s clear is the image of Eden, flying down the hill in her white dress, to stop me making the worst mistake of my life—killing the future she and I can now have. I can’t wait to take that dress off now. And I can’t wait to fall asleep in her arms.

The house is quiet and smells of honey wax and candle smoke just like I knew it would.

She’s lying in bed, leafing through a book, the candlelight coloring her skin golden and making it glow.

“Finally,” she says as she sees me standing there. “What took you so long?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” I say. “I wanted to be here hours ago.”

She slides off the bed and walks to me, takes both my hands in hers and gives me one of those sweet kisses only she knows how to give.

“I wanted you here hours ago too,” she says. “Now let”s take a bath.”

“Whatever you want,” I say.

She smirks at that then leads me to the bathroom where yet more candles are glowing. The clawfoot bath in the center of the room is already half full of water. She opens the hot water to fill it up all the way then turns to me.

“Good thing I had the plumbing taken care of in this house, huh?” I say as I watch her do it.

“Yes, you do plan for everything, don’t you?” she says. “Where does the water come from, anyway? This being the desert and all.”

I shrug. “An underground reservoir that has to be refilled all the time. It’s not ideal. But let’s not talk about the utilities.”

She smiles and walks over to me, slides off my cut and pulls my shirt over my head. My boots and jeans are next, followed by my boxers. There’s something so sublimely good about having the woman you love take care of you. And now it’s my turn.

I take my time undoing the buttons of her dress, which she must’ve mended at some point while she’s been here, because I distinctly remember tearing this dress off her once upon a time. Back when I still tried to convince myself I could hurt her. Back when I thought she’d be a vehicle to my peace in a whole different way than it turned out she was. I like this way better.

Her skin is like brushed gold, shadows playing across her belly and perfect breasts. Her beauty is mesmerizing and for a few seconds it’s all I can think about.

Until she turns off the water and leads me into the water. Then the softness of her skin and the perfect weight of her body as she nestles into me in the tub is all I can think about.

In a minute, I’ll have to know how good she’d feel with my cock inside her. But right now, I’m happy just holding her as we float in the water, her hair tickling my chest, her hands holding my arms over her belly, stars twinkling in the dark indigo sky outside the open window.

“This has gotta be heaven,” I hear myself say. And I’m not for dumb romantic nonsense. But with her, it just comes out and feels natural.

She turns her head up and looks at me.

“Nope, not heaven, just Eden,” she says and grins. “And this is right here on earth because you made the right choice today.”

I grin at her too. “Good thing I did too. Because I’d never make it into heaven after I died and that’s where you’d be.”

She squeezes my arms. “Let’s not talk about dying, especially since it almost happened today.”

“You’re right,” I say and hug her tighter. “I don’t ever want to lose you.”

“Ditto,” she says.

“I mean it, Eden,” I say. “I never knew what I wanted until I met you. You’ve given me everything I never knew I needed. But I did. You’re the daughter of my worst enemy, but exactly the piece that’s been missing from my life. I still can’t wrap my mind around that.”

She tenses in my arms and looks at me like maybe I said the wrong thing. The peaceful forest in her eyes seems to be caught in a great big storm right now. That’s not what I wanted at all. I wanted to tell her something else.

“I love you, Eden, with everything I have,” I say, happy to see sunshine in her eyes again. “You helped me find my soul again after I thought I didn’t have it anymore. I know we started this on a lie, but loving you is the only truth I truly know.”

“We have come a long way, haven’t we?” she says dreamily.

I nod, mesmerized by the movement of her lips as she speaks.

“I love you too, with all my heart. With everything I am. And I wouldn’t have our story play out in any other way,” she says.

I cock an eyebrow at her, questioning this statement.

“I mean it,” she says. “You had demons chasing you and I’m glad I helped you deal with them.”

I hug her tighter. “That you did.”

“And what we had was never a lie, not from the very beginning,” she adds. “Just a truth you took forever to acknowledge.”

I grin. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“You’ll find that I often am,” she says then kisses me, her body melting into mine as our lips meet.

She was right and she is right. And now I have forever to enjoy her, because I listened to her and because she loved me even when I was still a bloodthirsty monster.

I did nothing to truly deserve her. Yet here she is anyway. Mine. Willingly. Forever.