"I'm not stalking you," she muttered, looking around the room. I watched her in slight curiosity as she ignored my existence, disappearing into a row of floor to ceiling bookshelves. If it weren't for the quick sound of her heartbeat pounding in my eardrums, I would've thought she had no interest in me, but that wasn't the case.

When we first met, the sound was steady. There was no trace of fear in her eyes or from any body language that I had observed. The more days she spent here, the more reactions to my presence there were. Sometimes it would be a quick and sharp intake of breath, and other times it would be me catching her look at me.

Normally people were afraid first and then remained that way, but the reverse of her reactions made me question if her reactions were truly out of fear. It wasn't as if I cared what it was either way, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't pique my interest.

"What are you looking for?" I questioned, lifting my book once again and sitting back.

"Umm." She re-emerged from behind a shelf and craned her neck to look around, her curly hair falling into her face. "Would you happen to know where the Bibles are kept?"

"You read the Bible?" I deadpanned.

"No."

I lowered my book once again and raised a brow at her. "Why not?"

"Are you encouraging me to read it?"

I scoffed, shaking my head and she smiled at me before crossing the long tables in the library, to the shelves closest to me. "I thought all Upperworlders were forced to read it in school."

"We were," she muttered.

"So you do read it."

"For an A?" She asked. "Definitely."

The disinterest she showed in her home's religious book began planting more questions than I already had about her. In any trips I've gone to Heaven, I had to fight off their residents like flies. They would line up on the sidewalks of the streets reading Bible verses to me hoping that somehow I'd burst into ashes.

Unfortunately for them, I knew more about the holy book than they did. My father was never interested-in fact, he made me swear off ever touching it, but I figured it would be best to know our enemies. And what better way to do so than to read the closest thing he had to a biography?

"Ah! There it is," Queen said, making me snap out of my thoughts and turn back to her. She raised herself on the tip of her toes, her arm reaching far past her head and my eyes trailed down her body.

It was none of my business what she decided to wear, but I wished I wasn't a fan of everything she decided on. Whether she was fully clothed, or half naked...I'd wonder what made her choose it that morning.

That was a habit of mine I thought stopped years ago; unintentionally comparing people's actions, choices, and interactions to my own. I could hardly pay attention to myself long enough to throw some diversity into my wardrobe, and I wondered how other people did it.

Her distressed shorts rode high on her thighs, making her legs look like they went on for miles. And her shirt rose momentarily, her bare stomach being flashed to me before she set the book down and dropped her hands. "There we go."

My eyes drifted back to my book as I raised it back up, not reading a single word. The clicking of her heels made their way towards me and I looked towards her. She looked past me at the small arrangement of shelves, her eyes studying the rows as she bit the inside of her cheek.

"Looking for something?"

"Maybe," she said, walking past the couch I was on. My jaw clenched as a breeze of her scent floated into my spectrum; her sweet coconut scent mixed with the smell of her blood was enough to make my mouth dry. I grabbed the whiskey from the coffee table and downed it before setting it back down and shaking my head. Control yourself.

"If you're looking for romance, it's in row B," I mumbled. "Which is all the way over there." I pointed to the rows opposite us and she laughed lowly.

"Why do you assume I'm looking for romance?"

"You seem like the type." I shrugged.

"Because I'm a woman?"

"No," I grumbled. "It's because I saw you reading that book in the foyer this morning when you were waiting for Xyla. The King Is My Sugar Daddy is a little bit on the nose so I'm guessing romance."

She broke out into an amused grin and tilted her head. "Maybe it's historical fiction."

"It's not."

"You've read it?"

"I looked it up."

"Oh?" She asked, walking back to where I was sitting. "Why?"

"Curiosity."

"Hmm fine," she said as she sat in the chair across me. "Even if it was romance. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Right," I mumbled. "If you're okay with a predictable plot hidden with sex scenes and break ups...then yes, I'm sure you love romance."

"Ouch." She huffed with a smile on her face. "That's wrong on so many levels. They're not predictable at all."

"Are you willing to wager that?" I suggested, setting my book on the table and leaning forward. "Grab any book in the romance section and if I accurately guess the ending from just the description, you owe me a favor."

"And if you don't?"

"Then I'll owe you."

She swiveled in the chair in front of me, biting her lip as she thought about the offer and I raised my brow. After a few moments, her head slowly bobbed up and down in a nod. "Okay." She stood up from the chair, and walked away from me, disappearing into the shelves.

I sat back and waited patiently, staring up at the rows of crystal chandeliers casting a golden glow over the room. I could hear Queen's slow footsteps scanning the row, and her soft humming ringing in my ears. "Boom," she whispered before making her way back to me. "I've actually read this one, so I can fact check."

I held my hand out for the book, and she took a seat, eyeing my every move. "Pretty When You Cry," I read, opening to the first page of the book. "Cristina Walters, a nineteen year old college student alone in the streets of Juva; struggling to pay bills, finds herself in a world of troubles when she's kidnapped by the infamous Lucius Lyken in a robbery gone wrong. Forced to adjust to the new world he's brought her into, she must find her way out before her heart begins to become another enemy of hers...well okay."

"You got it," she said. "Go ahead."

"Well firstly, we know she's broke and probably has no passion; most likely in school for a degree she will only mention in the beginning of the book and never again." She laughed. "I'm guessing the guy is a bad guy with a bad past, but he's healed as soon as he meets her. He kidnaps her and they live happily ever after, bu-"

"Wrong," she said, taking the book from my hands and looking into my eyes. "One thing about romance...Syn? It's not always a happy ending."

"I wasn't finished."

"Wha-"

"Like I was saying, they live happily ever after, but not together. She's probably a push over in the beginning, but respects herself more in the end and since he's 'fallen in love', he lets her leave, not even caring that she may or may not go to the police." I eyed the book. "It's a trilogy so they will end up together."

I looked back up at Queen who had a frown etched on her face as she rolled her eyes. "What the hell..."

"I'll ask for my favor one day," I said. "Stay tuned."

"That's not fair."

"How not? You agreed to the terms."

She blew out a breath. "Okay, fine. What's the favor?"

"I'm going to think about it. I'll let you know one day."

She nodded, and gently took the book out of my hand. "I'm going to put this away and go to bed. I have an early morning."

I nodded, ignoring the small tinge of disappointment and turning back to my book. She stood up from the chair and walked away, but abruptly stopped after a few steps. She turned back to me, squinting her eyes in my direction, and placing her hand on her hip.

"You've read the book."

"I have," I spoke up.

"That's so unfair."

"How so? I gave you the choice of choosing any book you wanted, Queen. There are hundreds there."

She looked around the room in thought, before turning back to me and scoffing, her frown slowly being replaced by a smile. "You've read them all. That's why you felt comfortable enough letting me choose any-you knew you were going to win before we even started."

"That's the only way to play anything," I remarked.

She nodded slowly, walking back to the table in front of me and putting the book down. "I'm sure you know where this goes then," she noted, tapping the book. "Have a goodnight, Syn."

My eyes stayed on her until she left the room, and I was finally able to take a deep breath. I set the book aside, running my hands through my hair, and reached for the bottle of liquor. Instead of pouring it into the glass, I sat back, lifting the rim of the bottle to my lips in an effort to drown out everything that just happened.

My phone buzzed beside me, and I picked it up, rolling my eyes at the notification from Xyla.

Xyla: We're going to church in Eden this Sunday. If we wish to marry, we need to show the Kingdoms that we're at least trying to support each other's cultures.
-X. M.
12: 03 a.m.

Me: So I can plan for you to pay a visit to Hell?
12:05 a.m.

The chat bubble popped up as she read my message and I waited, my gut already knowing her reply. When she didn't text back, I set my phone to the side, a small mass of relief in my chest. Hell was my home. The thought of anyone up here coming down and disrupting anything wasn't a thought that sat well with me.

It's not happening.