The Gazelle Who Caught a Lion (14 page)

he hugged Alexis to his chest. “Just don’t come near Alexis ever again if you want to live.”

Jonathan seemed to grow insane with anger. “You little bastard. I

won’t let you do this. I killed for you once. I’ll do it again.”

Even the air seemed to freeze around them as all the students in

the hall stared at Jonathan. The lion didn’t even seem to realize what he’d said. He continued his rant, ignoring the shocked silence

surrounding him. “You’re mine, Alexis. You promised you would be

after we got rid of Leiland, after we took care of your problem with Clark. We made plans. Why are you doing this?”

Angel felt almost bad for Jonathan, or would have, had the lion

not killed a man and blamed it on Clark. Besides, he hadn’t forgotten
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the stunt with the fliers. It now seemed so small, and no one even

gave any sign they even remembered it. The students were more

focused on the confession of guilt and the proof of obsession

unveiling in front of their eyes. All the young men and women who’d

previously joined Jonathan to point fingers at Angel now took a few

steps back away from the lion.

Angel truly didn’t know what would have happened had his

parents not chosen this opportune moment to show up. Sara was with

them, as well as Skylar and Byron Cunningham and the two elders.

“Enough of this,” Sara said. “Everyone, to your classrooms.

Jonathan, you’re coming with us.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Jonathan’s nostrils flared. “I have to—”

The lion froze, as if his words had been cut off by some invisible

force. “Silence,” Byron said, his voice a near whisper. “Go with Sara.

Mr. Whitaker, you come, too.”

Alexis nodded. He looked a little afraid, and Angel couldn’t blame

him. Byron could be very intimidating when he wanted to.

As Alexis took a step forward, Morgan caught his hand and

stopped him. “No. He hasn’t done anything wrong. He doesn’t have to

go anywhere.”

“Morgan, don’t fight with me,” Byron said in a low voice. “Now

is not the time to be contrary.”

“I’m not being contrary.” Morgan straightened his spine and stared

straight at his father. “I’m just protecting what’s mine.”

Byron looked torn, obviously reluctant to hurt his son. Thankfully,

Skylar intervened in a situation that could have gotten ugly fast.

“Look, sweetheart, we have to find out what happened, for everyone,

including Alexis. Jonathan made a very serious accusation, and we

need to look into it.” He smiled. “But you can come with us if it will make you feel better.”

Morgan and Alexis shared a look, and then Morgan nodded.

“Okay. That’s fine. Thanks, Dad.”

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“Everyone else, return to your studies.” Skylar clapped his hands

together.

When Angel didn’t move, his father arched a brow at him. “That

includes you, Angel. Come on, move it. You’ve been skipping far too

many classes lately.”

A different time, Angel might have felt distraught at the

reprimand, but now, he was just too overwhelmed. Between the shock

of having his mating revealed to the school and the new information

that had come to light regarding the killing, he just wanted to go back to the dorm.

Alas, it was not to be. All the students dispersed toward their

respective classrooms, even if no one seemed very excited. Angel and Clark remained with their friends, and Angel experienced a brief

moment of panic when he realized they’d just found out about his

relationship with Clark, too. Would they hate him now? Would they

laugh like the others?

No such thing happened. Layton, Reed, Melanie, Isaac, Jace, and

Derek grouped around him and Clark. “I suppose congratulations are

in order,” Reed said cheekily.

“At least something good is happening.” Layton sighed. “I don’t

understand anything anymore with this Alexis business.”

“Let’s drop it for now,” Melanie suggested. “We’ll probably find

out more later.”

Reluctantly, they all agreed and headed toward their respective

courses. Unfortunately, today Angel and Clark didn’t share classes, so Angel found himself forced to brave the room full of students alone.

Still, the bond with his mate lingered at the bottom of his mind, and in the end, it proved to be quite easy to ignore them.

He tried to pay attention, and for the most part, he even managed

to fake interest in what the teacher was saying. He became completely distracted, though, when his mate’s voice drifted into his mind.

“I was thinking, Angel,”
Clark said.
“Maybe after all this is over,
we should go.”

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“Go?”
Angel repeated
. “Go where?”

“I’m not sure yet,”
Clark replied.
“Somewhere we can be just the
two of us, without all the bullshit. I love our friends and our family,
but really, we’re not kids anymore, and…I want a life with you. I want
what our parents have.”

Angel imagined a little house of their own, maybe children further

along, and immediately his mood lifted.
“I’d like that, Clark. I’d like
that.”

With him focusing on his connection with his mate, the class

passed with striking ease. Finally, the teacher declared it over.

Everyone turned off their tablets and filed out of the room. Angel took his time, not particularly eager to mingle with his fellow students.

“My teacher’s taking forever,” Clark said through their bond.

“Wait for me outside, okay?”

Angel nodded, even if Clark couldn’t actually see him.
“Will do.”

He wandered out of the building, considering what they’d found

out today. How could he help his friend? He believed that for

whatever reason, Alexis was being set up, but who would do

something like that and why?

He headed toward the dorm, deciding he was unwilling to wait for

Clark with so many people around. The guards in front of the dorm

didn’t give him more than a cursory glance, and Angel realized just

how easy it would be for someone with that sort of magic to move

around. Even if the Academy had sophisticated electronic systems

installed, everything still relied on appearances, and the impostor

seemed to have the ability to fool both people and machines.

Still musing over this, he reached his room, retrieved the key, and

opened the door. He was surprised to see Alexis sitting alone on the bed with his head in hands. Technically speaking, this was no longer Alexis’s room, but Angel didn’t give too much thought to that. He was more concerned about the incubus’s obvious sadness, and the fact that Morgan and the others were nowhere to be seen. Angel made his way

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to Alexis’s side and placed a hand on the incubus’s shoulder. “What

happened?”

“They don’t believe me,” Alexis replied. “Sara thinks it was really

me behind it all. They had videos…They showed Morgan.”

The incubus looked up, and Angel was shocked to see his friend’s

eyes swimming with tears. “He was so angry, Angel. I’ve never seen

him look so angry.”

Angel sat next to Alexis and hugged his friend. “Do you think

he’ll break up with you?”

“I don’t know anything anymore,” Alexis replied. “Those

images…Whoever was there looked so much like me. I don’t blame

them for not trusting me.” He released a bitter laugh. “A few weeks

ago, I couldn’t have cared less about what happened to me. But now I don’t want to be locked up somewhere and be forgotten. I don’t want

to lose Morgan.”

“Where’s he now?” Angel inquired.

“He went with his father after the entire fiasco,” Alexis replied.

“They’d have locked me up with Jonathan, but Mr. Ruiz suggested I

should be separated from my accomplice.”

In that moment, it really dawned to Angel just what a terrible

situation they found themselves in. Alexis could very well lose his life if the true culprit behind the murder wasn’t found.

“But if Morgan was there, he must have said he was with you

earlier, when Clark and I saw the fake you at the dorm.”

Alexis licked his lips in obvious nervousness. “He did, and many

others saw me that day in town. That’s my only hope now and the only reason why they didn’t immediately judge me as guilty. They’re going to talk to Preston and Corbin and everyone else who was at the bar we went to. So now, it’s a waiting game.”

“Hey, you didn’t do anything.” Angel poked Alexis in the arm.

“Once they realize that, everything will come back to normal. You’ll see.”

“I hope you’re right,” Alexis replied.

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The conversation didn’t continue, as a knock sounded at the door.

Once again, Angel was invaded by that strange sense of danger, but

Alexis said, “Come in.”

Angel was relieved when Mr. Ruiz cracked the door open and

peeked inside. “Ah, you’re both here. Excellent.”

“What is it, Mr. Ruiz?” Alexis asked.

“Principal Huitzilin wanted to see you,” Mr. Ruiz replied. “If you

would, please follow me.”

Alexis immediately perked up. “Is there any news? Is Morgan

there?”

“I believe so, yes,” the teacher answered.

Alexis’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Angel found himself

getting excited for his friend. “Come on. Let’s go.”

Clark’s voice came through their bond as Angel rushed out of the

room with the incubus.
“Be careful, Angel. I’m not sure you should go
anywhere with Alexis right now.”

Angel ignored the advice. He was convinced of his friend’s

innocence. Besides, what could possibly happen with all the guards

now in the Academy? The impostor had to be crazy to show up, and

more so with all the commotion from earlier.

They followed after Mr. Ruiz, heading toward the principal’s

office. Once there, the teacher led them inside. The office was dark, but Angel could see Sara sitting at her desk as usual. She was turned away from them, looking out the window, as if in thought. “You

wanted to see us?” he asked.

Sara didn’t reply. Too late did Angel realize Sara’s form seemed

far too limp. A heavy blow hit the back of his head, and he fell to the floor. The last thing he saw before everything went black was Alexis looming above him.

* * * *

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The instant his connection with Angel faltered, Clark knew

something was very wrong. The final image he’d seen through their

bond was that of Alexis’s face. They must have been right about the incubus all along. Somehow, Alexis had been behind those crimes and

managed to use Morgan as alibi.

Clark didn’t know why Alexis would do such a thing, but it didn’t

matter. He was too terrified for his mate to even care about Alexis’s motive.

Ignoring the teacher who was, for whatever reason, still holding

court over the rest of the students, Clark rushed out of the class. He shouldn’t have left Angel’s side in the first place. Knowing that the problem with Leiland had yet to be solved, he should have stayed with his mate.

Thankfully, their connection provided the place where Angel had

gone before losing consciousness. Clark hastened to Sara’s office, still scenting Angel as he passed through the corridors. Much to his

dismay, when he reached the principal’s quarters, he found it empty.

Angel had been there, but his scent was almost lost in the myriad of smells in the office. The earlier meeting had held many people

together, making it hard for Clark to track what had happened.

Either way, he knew Alexis couldn’t have taken Angel too far. The

question appeared as to what the incubus had done with Sara. And

how did Mr. Ruiz fit into all of this? Was he also a prisoner of Alexis?

Surely, one man on the smaller side like Alexis couldn’t carry three other people. Not to mention that the Academy administrative

building had security measures in place.

As such, Angel had to be nearby. Following his mate’s scent,

Clark left the room. Oddly, he found that Angel’s smell seemed

entwined with Byron’s. Clark knew Morgan’s father had been here,

but this felt different.

As he ran, he retrieved his phone and, with a press of a button,

dialed his parents. Once he explained the situation, they agreed to

meet up with him outside the administrative building. He also called
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103

his cousins and friends. He hesitated slightly before talking to

Morgan, but in the end, decided the shark deserved to know what

happened as well.

He realized the scent took him toward the back of the building and

the storage facility. There should have been several guards in the area, but none seemed to be around. Even if he’d promised to wait for his

family, he rushed forward to find his mate.

Clark went past the entrance of the building with a reasonable

amount of ease. There were very few things that could keep him at

bay when in search for his mate, and a couple of locks simply didn’t cut it.

However, just as he thought he was finally reaching Angel, he

found a strong metal door blocking his progress. He tried to force it and hissed in pain when the electricity system protecting it was