Free The Gazelle Who Caught a Lion by Scarlet Hyacinth Page B

too well disciplined to fall into something like that.
    “We’ll talk to Skylar and Byron, too,” his dad added. “They’ll get
    to the bottom of things.”
    Angel laughed lightly. “I suspect Morgan or Layton must have
    done so already.”
    It was quite likely, given how angry the two had been earlier. His
    dads chuckled as well, and Clark might have joined in, but something stopped him. He sensed several presences approaching quickly, and
    for whatever reason, he could tell they weren’t very friendly.
    Angel and their parents seemed to feel it as well. Clark pulled
    Angel closer to him, while their parents took position in front of them in a defensive posture. Clark didn’t actually think they were in
    physical danger, since the Academy was well guarded. Furthermore,
    he also sensed Sara close by, and she would never do something bad
    to Clark and Angel. Even so, it never hurt to be ready.

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    Scarlet Hyacinth
    A minute or so later, a knock sounded outside. Clark’s werewolf
    dad went to open the door, and when he did, Sara and a couple of
    other shifters walked inside.
    Sara’s expression was completely blank. She seemed to be in
    Xena the Warrior Princess mode, as Layton would put it. Something
    bad had happened.
    “What’s the matter, Principal Huitzilin?” Angel asked politely.
    “Leiland Travers is dead,” she replied. “He was killed by a lion.”

    * * * *

    There were some days in Angel’s life that he could always
    remember with great clarity. One of them was the day he’d been
    adopted. He could still recall the first moment he’d seen the couple who would later become his parents. He could still hear Carson say,
    “It all started with a lamb and a wolf…” Then, there was his first
    anniversary spent with his parents, which coincidentally, was also
    Melanie, Jace, and Derek’s birthday.
    Other memories weren’t so pleasant, like the time his dad had
    been shot. And now, Angel was sure today would always remain in his
    memory, both for the beauty of some of its moments and for the
    terrible twist it had taken.
    He might have been able to get over nearly being killed earlier that morning. He was a gazelle shifter, after all, and gazelles lived aware of the dangers surrounding them. Even in the wild, many succumbed
    to predation. An antelope of any kind wouldn’t survive for long if he or she dwelled too long on almost being killed.
    Mating Clark had wiped away the lingering traces of
    apprehension. He’d received a big shock when their parents
    essentially caught them in the act, but they’d surprised him by being tremendously understanding.
    But all that risked being lost with the new events shadowing his
    life. With the death of Leiland Travers, a terrible accusation loomed The Gazelle Who Caught a Lion
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    over Clark, and indirectly over Angel. Given Clark’s recent conflict with Leiland, he was the natural suspect. But when Angel argued
    Clark had been with him ever since they’d left the gym, Leiland’s
    parents countered that Angel might have participated in the attack.
    Angel chewed on his fingernails as he waited in Sara’s office. He
    didn’t know what had happened, where Leiland had been found, or
    even how they could be so sure a lion was behind the attack. He
    gathered certain animal bites left different types of traces, but even if that was the case, there were plenty of other lions here at the
    university. Today’s events didn’t automatically mean Clark had done
    the horrible deed.
    Clark had been secured in a room in the administrative building
    and their parents had gone to investigate the issue. Angel was left
    alone under close watch in the principal’s office. He’d have gone
    crazy if not for his bond with Clark.
    “Don’t worry, baby,” Clark told him again through their
    connection. “Remember the video feeds? They’d have registered I
    went into your room and didn’t come out. We’ll be fine.”
    Angel gathered his knees to his chest and closed