“Night, Jas,” I whispered.

“Good night.” He leaned down to press a kiss to my cheek, just barely grazing the corner of my mouth, before he turned around and sauntered towards his own room at the end of the corridor.

In utter disbelief I leaned against the door and watched him go, raising a hand to touch my lips. He looked back once more as he stepped inside, making my heartbeat stumble in a way that was utterly terrifying, until the door fell shut behind him and I was left alone to try to understand what had just happened.

Falling asleep that night was almost impossible. For hours I tossed and turned, replaying the evening in my head, until sleep finally had mercy on me and pulled me under.

° ° °

Jasper and I were back in the basement. He was wearing the same outfit he had worn earlier, black pants and a bil owing white shirt that sometimes slipped down to reveal a sliver of his col arbone.

Around his shoulders was the red velvet cloak and atop his silver hair sat the golden plastic crown, wobbling precariously as he swung himself onto a table.

“Well?” he asked, leaning back on his hands, an easy grin on his lips. “Are you going to just stand there?”

Laughing, I stepped closer to him, until I was standing between his spread legs and he had to tilt his head a little to look up at me.

“Are you sure that this is the best place to do this? Bit dark down here. And damp. And spider-y.”

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the basement, mon soleil,” Jasper chuckled. His hands were resting on my waist, slender fingers slipping under my shirt, cool against my skin. “It’s just you and me.

Isn’t this what you’ve been wanting for so long?”

I nodded, but couldn’t help but cast a glance over my shoulder to make sure no one else was there. Oddly enough, the skeleton wasn’t where it had been earlier, but before I could wonder where it might have gone, one of Jasper’s hands traveled upward, sliding up my back until it tangled in my hair.

“Hey.” His voice was low, raspy. I swal owed thickly and turned my head to face him again, finding him looking up at me with the hint of a smile tugging at his lips and a flush on his cheeks, the plastic crown sparkling in the dim light. “Stop worrying. You always think too much.”

“Sorry,” I said. “It’s just all new. And . . . scary, kind of.”

“Don’t be scared,” he whispered. His hand tugged a little at my hair, pul ing my face closer to his until I could feel his breath on my lips. In the half-light, his eyes were glowing like embers.

Meanwhile, I was already burning up. “Just kiss me.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. Carefully cupping his chin in one hand, I leaned down and brushed my lips against his, unable to hold back a disbelieving smile when his legs wrapped around my waist, pul ing me even closer. There was a soft clinking sound as the crown slipped off his head and went clattering to the ground, but neither of us cared.