The Gazelle Who Caught a Lion by Scarlet Hyacinth Read Free Book Online

him
    to the floor. With his own body, he immobilized the other shifter,
    holding him down in spite of Jonathan’s struggles.
    Just as the coach declared him the winner, a sense of alarm
    coursed through him. Clark lifted his eyes, only to see one of the
    cheetahs in the track team, a young man named Leiland, shift into his animal form. The feline started chasing after Angel, dodging his
    teammates who attempted to stop him.
    None of them were supposed to change into their beast form
    except on their private time. They were allowed to run or fly, but not while engaged in activities with other shifters who could get hurt in the process. Shifting during PE class not only went against the rules, but it was also very dangerous.
    Without hesitating one single second, Clark jumped off Jonathan.
    In human form, he couldn’t fight a cheetah, so he allowed his body to melt into that of his lion. Cheetahs were faster than lions,
    unfortunately, but Leiland had chosen the wrong antelope to pursue.
    Angel didn’t always show it, but he was, in fact, much faster than
    other members of his species. Realizing the danger, Angel didn’t delay in shifting shapes as well. He managed to avoid the cheetah and
    headed toward Clark.
    Leiland didn’t seem to realize what Angel intended, not until it
    was too late at least. Clark pounced on the cheetah, stopping him from The Gazelle Who Caught a Lion
    41
    his pursuit of Angel. His opponent tried to claw at Clark, but Clark’s mane prevented the cheetah from managing to get a good grip. He was
    bigger and stronger, and it would have taken him no effort to tear his sweet Angel’s attacker.
    Luckily for Leiland, their coaches intervened. “Enough, Clark. Let
    him go.”
    Clark snarled, unconvinced. What if he released the other cat and
    Leiland decided it was a good idea to continue his previous activity?
    Angel appeared behind Clark’s coach and gave him a pleading
    look. “Seriously, Clark. Let him go.”
    Hesitantly, Clark moved away from the cheetah. The moment he
    was safely off the second feline, two shots rang out and tranquilizer darts hit the out-of-control student. For a few seconds, Leiland tried to fight against the substance, but then, he fell on the floor, motionless.
    Panting, Clark shifted back into his human form. Angel rushed to
    his side and hugged him. They were both completely naked, but when
    Clark gathered Angel to his chest, it wasn’t arousal coursing through his veins, but terror and the realization of how easily he could have lost Angel. What if the weather had been sunny today and the track
    team decided to train outside? Clark wouldn’t have been around, and
    perhaps Leiland would have caught Angel. The mere thought made
    him want to hurl.
    It seemed Angel was just acknowledging his brush with death
    because his knees gave out, and he ended up leaning against Clark
    with all his weight.
    “Clark, take your brother to the infirmary,” the coach said. “We’ll
    talk later.”
    “Yes, coach.” Clark lifted Angel in his arms and, without looking
    back, left the PE room. He stopped briefly by the lockers to get
    dressed and, more importantly, dress Angel. It wasn’t even his own
    jealousy that caused him to do so. On a normal day, Angel didn’t even care all that much about nudity. They were shape-shifters, after all.

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    Scarlet Hyacinth
    Even so, something inside Clark told him Angel needed the normality, the brief armor those clothes provided.
    The detour took merely a few minutes, and throughout this time,
    Angel didn’t speak again. Clark was beginning to regret his decision, but as they left the PE building, Angel whispered a barely audible,
    “Thanks.”
    Relief flooded Clark. Angel was obviously still in shock, but he’d
    gotten away without any injuries. He rushed his dear brother to the
    infirmary, where the medic and Sara were already waiting for them.
    Clark gathered the coaches had informed the two of the events.
    Clark placed Angel on the