She tried to be strong, but it was hard to hide her breaking heart. She opened her eyes and said, “Tristan, can I speak to you in private?” Alex put his arm possessively around her shoulders. “Anything you want to say to him, you can say in front of me.” Her mouth suddenly felt dry. Alex shouldn’t be putting her in this position, even though she knew his motives were based on affection and truly believing he could help her break the curse. She glared at the young vampire—no one told her what to do, not anymore—but perhaps not talking to Tristan alone was for the best. Alone with Tristan, she might cave in and blurt out that her childish infatuation had morphed into a full-blown crush. Another rejection from Tristan would be so humiliating, and at least Alex claimed to have feelings for her. Thinking too much about Tristan would just confuse her and hamper her chances of developing a romantic relationship with Alex, or one of the sleeping suitors in the tower. Even if true love never came to be, as she suspected it wouldn’t, she needed Alex’s help and inside information on the vampire queen’s plans.
