I arrived home later than I expected. My mother dragged me through a lot more stores than I had originally planned on going to, and she had this need to stay in each one for hours. I took a quick shower and got into bed with Queen, being careful not to wake her.

I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and she stirred in her sleep, a faint smile appeared on her face. I lay on my side facing her and I couldn't help, but admire her beauty. Not just physically, but every single part of her. We hadn't gotten the chance to reveal our secrets to one another, but I knew there was truly nothing that she could tell me that would send me away.

I looked over at the clock at my bedside and saw 1:24am.
Realizing what this meant, I cupped her cheek and laid a kiss on her forehead. "Happy birthday, Princess." I whispered.

Almost as if she'd heard me through her sleep, she snuggled into my body and spread her arm across my chest.

I let out an exhale and I relaxed into the bed and her hold. With the steady and rhythmic sound of her heartbeat and soft snores, I let myself drift to sleep along with her.

A phone ringing in the room made me shoot up from my bed, momentarily forgetting about the sleeping beauty on top of me. Queen rubbed her eyes beside me and was about to wake up and I quickly grabbed my phone and shut it off, not bothering to check the caller.

"What happened?" Queen asked with a yawn.

"Nothing, Princess. Go back to sleep," I said in a soothing voice, raising the blanket back over her and kissing her cheek. After a few moments she fell back asleep and I slipped out of the bed and into the restroom with my phone.

I rolled my eyes as I looked at the caller and shook my head. I spent the entire day with her, what did she need now? Calling the number back, I held my phone up to my ear and paced the restroom impatiently.

"Hello," my mother whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" I asked.

"Because it's 4am," she said quietly.

"Then why are you calling?" I hissed.

She ignored my tone and continued speaking, "It's Queen's birthday."

At her words, my anger faded and I stopped pacing, leaning against the marble counter. "I'm aware."

"How are you giving her the gifts?"

"Mother, we went over this ten times. I got this," I assured her. The lack of faith in my skills was almost insulting at this point.

"You wrapped the gifts?" She asked.

"You watched me do it." I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"I'm sorry, I just want everything to be perfect," she admitted.

I took a deep breath and shook my head softly. "I understand. I'll see you in the morning, mother."

"Okay," she whispered loudly, making me move my phone from my ear.

I slowly brought the phone back and sighed. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Everything," I said. The line became eerily quiet and after a few moments, I heard a sniffle come from her side of the phone. Before things could become too out of hand I hung up the phone call.

We had a decent day, but I didn't need an overload of her emotions in one day. I already had enough for the month.

I left the bathroom and navigated my way through my dark room, to my closet with ease. Closing the door, I turned the light on and looked through the gifts I got Queen to make sure everything was okay.

What if she hates them?

My mother helped me with a few gifts, but a majority of them were ones I chose. I never thought I was a bad gift giver until Xavier mentioned it, but now it was all that was on my mind. I would keep those for her to open when we were alone.

I set aside the first gift I would give her and walked back into my room. I found Queen still asleep and I slipped into the bed beside her, pulling her into my body.

She looked absolutely peaceful, with no worries in the world as she slept. When I slept I saw nothing but darkness, or memories from my past. I wondered what she dreamt about. I never cared enough to wonder about anyone else's but I was intrigued when it came to her.

If I wanted to, I suppose I could always check for myself...I mean would she be upset if she found out? I learned how to dream travel when I was younger, but I never used it for anything besides a torture tactic for some of Hell's residents.

Hurting her wouldn't be my intention though. I just wanted a piece of the tranquility she seemed to exude in tons. Deciding to finally do it I laid my hand on her head and closed my eyes.

When I opened them, I saw myself in a forest. The sky was dark, but it was lit up by bright and colorful butterflies. The trees were wrapped in bright golden lights and multi-colored lanterns were hanging on the branches.

I looked down at my feet to see the ground filled with sunflowers reaching my knees, making my feet disappear.

I heard a melodic humming and looked up to see Queen sitting on a makeshift swing hanging on the largest tree nearby. She was wearing a see-through white dress with nothing underneath, her bare feet gently grazing the sunflowers as she swung back and forth on the swing.

Her hair hung down her shoulders in curly tendrils, moving freely with each motion of the swing. A smile remained on her lips as she gracefully swung, but she abruptly stopped when her eyes landed on me.

"Hi," she said.

I almost found myself asking what she was dreaming about when I stopped myself. I didn't want to disrupt anything in her mind and I also didn't want her to find out about this.

"Hey." I walked towards her.

She stood up from the swing on shaky legs as if she hadn't stood up in years. Swaying a bit, I watched her lose her footing, but before she could fall to the ground, I caught her in my arms.

A leaf on the tree above us fell and Queen gently grabbed it mid-air. As I helped her onto her feet she eyed the leaf and frowned.

"This doesn't happen here," she whispered.

"Where is here?" I asked.

"My garden of Eden," she said with a smile. "This is my safe space." I looked around once again and scoffed as I noticed the large apple tree a few yards away from us.

"Do you want an apple?" I teased.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she let out a soft laugh. "Like father like son, huh?" She walked to the tree next to her swing and bent down. I let my eyes rake over her bare ass on display and felt my dick stiffen.

Before I noticed it Queen was standing up and looking at me suspiciously, as if she knew what I was thinking. She smiled at me seductively and held up a covered basket.

"What's this?" I asked, gesturing towards the basket. She removed the cloth to reveal a large number of apples and I raised my brow.

"Have one," she said softly.

I glanced at the supposed famous tree of life then back at her. "Did you pick them yourself?"

"I did." She smiled. It wasn't her usual smile that she wore in general, there was something much more sinister behind this one. I looked into her brown eyes and before I could stop myself, an apple was in my hand.

She bit her lip as she looked at the apple in my hand and then looked back up at me. "You should try a bite."

"I know better than that," I said as I clicked my tongue.

She pouted and put the basket down. "Why? You could stay here with me forever then." She laid her hands on my shoulders and frowned at me.

"In Heaven?" I asked.

She didn't answer my question, but she let go of me and walked back to her swing. As she took a seat she gripped the ropes and planted her feet on the seat, spreading her legs wide open.

"Come on Syn. Stay!" She said gleefully. Throwing her head back in a fit of giggles, I eyed her hesitantly. Her breasts bounced up and down slightly with the motion of the swing and her exposed pussy was shining with wetness and calling my name.

Fuck it. I want her.

I took a bite of the bright red apple and dropped it to the floor. I watched as the fruit turned from its crimson shade to charcoal black at my feet. I knew then and there that I completely fucked up, but I couldn't bring myself to pay any mind to it. I turned my attention back to Queen to see her stepping down from the swing and smiling at me wickedly.

I walked towards her and pulled her to me. I brought my lips down onto hers and she moaned as she kissed me back. I lowered her down onto the floor on her back and laid on top of her.

I looked at her for permission to do what I wanted and found it. Her eyes told me all the answers that I was looking for. I tore open her thin white dress and brought my lips to her breasts, sucking and teasing her nipples.

My fingers dipped down to her wetness and I let a finger slide in slowly. Her back arched as she moaned and my dick twitched at the sound. As I slid my finger in and out of her I was awarded with appreciative cries.

After a few moments, I couldn't take it anymore, I needed to have her. I moved my hands to my pants to unzip them but found myself already naked. My brows furrowed in confusion as I had been wearing clothes thirty seconds ago.

Yet again, with Queen under me, I couldn't bring myself to pay attention to it.

I aligned my cock at her entrance and suddenly the previously warm environment became freezing cold, yet Queen distracted me from it with the kisses she trailed along my neck. I groaned at the sensations and I thrust into her, making her dig her nails into my back. I kissed her fervently as I thrust in and out of her, feeling her tighten around me.

The sunflowers beside us began to wither and turn into dust beneath next to us. I looked down at Queen in confusion but she just smiled up at me and pulled me down to her lips.

The earth beneath us began rumbling and we were blinded by complete darkness. There were no longer any butterflies and the lights decorating the garden were gone, I could barely even make out Queen's face.

"Syn, fuck me," she begged softly. And I did just that. I let myself lose all control within her and continued my deep strokes. I felt her body writhe beneath me and I knew she was close.

"Come with me, Princess," I whispered. She climaxed in a loud moan and I groaned as I released into her. I caught my breath as I cupped her cheek and laid a kiss on her forehead.

The sky above us became red and I lifted myself off on Queen and helped her up. I finally took the chance to look around and noticed a barren desert that had none of the characteristics from the garden. The only thing around us for miles was a black void in the shape of a door.

I turned back to Queen and she was smiling at me sweetly.
"We were never in Eden, were we?" I asked in realization.

"I thought you wanted to know me," she said softly as she wrapped her arms around herself. She was more vulnerable at this moment than at any other point in this dream and I wondered why. I watched as a tear rolled down her cheek and I walked toward her.

I cupped her cheeks in my hands as I wiped her tears. "Stop crying, Princess."

"Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because I deceived you," she said as her lip quivered.

"I couldn't be mad at you."

"So you'll stay in there with me?" She asked as she pointed to the dark void.

"What is that?"

"My safe place," she said as she looked at it with a small smile.

"What is in there?" I asked.

"Me."

I looked between her and the door and tried to pick up the pieces of my mind that had been obliterated by what just happened. It finally made sense to me, Queen's dream had to have had something to do with these secrets she was keeping from me.

It was no wonder why she began crying when she mentioned lying to me. I was right though, there was more to her than I could've ever imagined.

"Come with me?" She asked softly as she reached out her hand.

If I was right about what this was, then there was no way I could turn her down right now. Subconsciously she was opening up to me and if I rejected her I was sure I'd never get another chance.

I grabbed her hand gently and she smiled at our interlocked hands. She led me towards the void and as we neared, I heard screams. I was about to ask her what was in there, but I remembered I had already asked.

She was in there.

She looked up at me and grinned as we got closer and I let her lead me. I watched her step into the darkness and I let myself take a step inside after her, but I was disrupted by a loud ringing.

I shot up from my bed panting as I looked around. My room was now covered in the light from the dawn outside and I groaned in pain as I adjusted to the light.

Fury shot through my body like an impulse and I wanted to desperately punch something. I had been so close to knowing everything one, yet a stupid phone call ruined it all.

Queen stirred in the bed next to me and I looked down at her. She got up slowly as I saw her cheeks stained with tears.

Shit.

She opened her mouth to speak to me, but a sob came out instead. I sighed as I realized what she was crying over. To her, it must've seemed like I left her, but for her sake and mine, I needed to play dumb. Pulling her to my body, I rubbed her back and let her cry into my chest.

"I'm sorry, Princess," I whispered.

After a few minutes she calmed down and her sobs turned into small occasional sniffles.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I just had a bad dream," she admitted in a low whisper.

"Tell me about it."