Chapter 270
Ellie’s POV
I watched Vivian go. Her shoulders were tense, and her steps were hurried. I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was starting to panic. Colt wasn’t going anywhere, and she knew that now. Her little plans to win over Dominic were starting to crumble with her mate in the palm of her hand.
Colt caught up with me in the garden just as she was going inside.
“Hey,” he said. “You got a minute?”
I looked up at him. His cheeks were flushed, and clearly not from the training session he had just completed. Judging from the
thunderous look on Vivian’s face just now, I could hazard a guess as to what this was about.
“Walk with me,” I said, inclining my head toward the woods.
There was a trail that cut through the back of the property and into the forest. A portion of the trail, which was steeper and more rugged, led out to the road and connected with a longer thru-hike trail.
I usually stuck to the shorter trail, which looped around for about a mile before it spat you back out where you’d started. I used it sometimes in the mornings when I needed to think. Not a lot of people used it, so it was usually quiet and solitary, and the hike
wasn’t too difficult.
We fell into step together. I waited for Colt to speak first.
It took him until we were well beyond the treeline before he said anything. “I think your sister is my mate.”
“Okay. And?”
He glanced at me. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Sorry, did you want me to be more surprised?”
He let out a short breath that was almost a laugh, but not quite. “So you knew.”
“I had a feeling,” I said, which was technically not a lie.
Colt looked at the ground in front of him as we walked, jaw working slightly. “I think she hates me,” he muttered.
“She doesn’t hate you.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve had warmer receptions from rogues who want to slit my throat.”
I pressed my lips together so I didn’t smile. “Listen. Vivian is… not the easiest person to get to know.” Understatement of the
century.
“Yeah. I’ve gathered that.” He kicked a small stone off the path. “But she’s my mate. And I can feel that she feels it too, so it’s not like she doesn’t know. She’s just…” He shrugged. “I don’t know. She avoids me like the plague.”
I thought for a moment about how to handle this. I sort of felt bad for the guy; I almost wanted to tell him the truth about Vivian, and that it was better to keep his distance.
But, selfishly, the whole ordeal had been keeping Vivian out of my hair, too. Even if it only lasted for a little while longer, it was making my life a lot easier.
And… hey. Maybe she could be different in this timeline with the right… pressure. Crazier things had changed in this timeline. Maybe, this time, Vivian’s mate could make her change her ways.
Highly unlikely, but worth a shot.
“I think you should keep trying,” I said after a few seconds.
2
|| บท.
+30 Bonus
Colt glanced at me sideways. “Are you sure? I don’t want to bother her if she doesn’t want me.”
I shrugged. “She wants you to chase her. That’s why she’s doing it. She likes to be pursued.”
His brows lifted. “Really?”
Well. No. Not really. Vivian’s entire existence was based around pursuing Dominic, a man who already had a mate. But if it would keep her busy, and if getting them together could maybe even change history, then I didn’t want Colt to give up. Not yet.
“Really,” I said.
Colt was quiet for a moment before he said, “Any other tips?”
The trail curved around a cluster of old pine trees, and the light through the branches went patchy and gold.
“Don’t make it a big conversation,” I said. “Don’t corner her. But be consistent. Vivian respects persistence. She always has. If you give up this easily, she won’t think you’re man enough to be worth her time.”
COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus
Comments
