Feral for her freedom

T W O

I awoke with a jolt, a small gasp escaping my lips as I was thrown forward. I blinked away the sleep, my eyes focusing on the front windshield. A herd of deer were crossing the road, their eyes glowing in the headlights of the bus. I tried to move my arm that had gone numb only to find I couldn't.

My eyes drifted down to where my arm was being held hostage. A young girl no older than eighteen, was curled up on her seat with my arm hugged tightly between hers, her head resting on my arm as she dosed.

I nudged her, tugging at my arm.

Her eyes flew open and she scrambled up, her wide and frightened eyes looking around.

"Can I have my arm back?" I demanded.

She looked at my arm, still tightly held by her hands. She released her hold and looked up at me sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

My answering glower made her gulp as I coldly stared down at her. "Who are you and how did you get here?" My words were icy, but I wasn't about to start being nice. Zeta was hunting me, and I was on a bus heading to The Finding, I had more to worry about than hurting a young girl's feelings.

I certainly had not had a bus buddy when I'd gotten on the bus which meant we'd stopped somewhere when I'd been asleep, and I needed to know how far from reaching our final destination we were.

I quirked a brow, prompting her when she didn't answer.

"O-oh." She blushed a deep shade of red and wrung her hands nervously. "I um...I uh..."

"Do you not know your own name or why you got on this bus?" I asked her dryly, not impressed by the female.

"My name Elysia Brooks, I am eighteen years of age. This is my first season, and I am traveling from the territory of Brown Creek from the Eastern Province to The Finding to see if I can find my consort," she robotically stated.

A little bit surprised by her very formal introduction I said, "Relax, it's not like I'm an agent of Zeta interrogating you."

The girl collapsed in on herself. "I'm sorry, it's just ...I'm so nervous."

"Why are you so nervous about meeting the love of your life?" I couldn't help the sarcasm that dripped from my words. I arched a brow when she stared at me dumbfounded, her jaw dropping open. "Well?" I hedged.

She bit her lip looking unsure. I shifted in my seat, my sharp look turning into one of concern. My brows pulled together in confusion. Did this female not want a consort either? Could I have misjudged her?

Looking at her now, I could clearly see I had missed all the signs. She was wringing her hands together, a nervous habit to try and calm herself down by giving her control over something. The constant shifting of her eyes, unable to hold my gaze, or look at anything for an extended period of time. Her shyness was not because she was timid it was because she was scared. Clearly this female would rather not be here, so why was she?

"I–I don't want a consort," she admitted softly. Then realizing what she had just said her hand flew to her mouth. "I–I mean I do want a consort! Of course, I do. Who doesn't want to find their consort? I'm just not ready for a consort yet. I can't help feeling that—"

I pressed my finger to her lips to silence her. "Enough of your annoying voice." I couldn't help being rude. I disliked people and only interacted with them if I had to. Faking smiles and being respectful to males was enough of a hassle. I had no desire to also facade as a congenial optimist trying to make friends everywhere I went for the sake of females I wouldn't see more than a handful of times. "If you don't want to find your consort, why the hell are you going to The Finding?"