Free Beautiful Sins: Leigha Lowery by Jennifer Hampton Page A

claw marks. Maria hurried to my side and gazed at the tree.
    "Umm, I think we should get out of here." She mumbled. I stared at her, bewildered.
    "You know, I think all the residents of the Coast have serious issues." I grumbled, pulling out my camera and began taking photos.
    "Leigha…" Maria murmured.
    "Yeah, I'm almost done. Just a few more…"
    "Leigha, don't move." She ordered. I turned, confused by her request. I froze in place, shocked by what stood before us. The largest dog I had ever seen stood just a few feet away. His black coat of fur stood up; and I gulped as my eyes assessed that he was merely the size of a horse. His silver eyes bored into mine, and the camera slipped out of my hand. The crashing sound of the camera made him anxious causing him to growl and bare his teeth.
    "Leigha, when I tell you to run… Run!" She yelled. I whirled, not looking back and plunged through the forest. The monstrous dog stood up on its hind legs and howled. His loud howls echoed through the forest.
    "Don't look back Leigha, just keep running!" Maria yelled.
    I screamed, panting from the pain of traveling through the heavy thick snow. This time, I heard several growls. Crashing through the forest, a pack of seven or more knocked down trees as they hurried to fetch us.
    I shouldn't have looked back, but my curiosity had gotten the best of me and I tripped over a branch, twisting my ankle.
    "Ouch!" I screamed.
    "Leigha!" Maria yelled. She turned and hurried over to me.
    "I think it's broken. Go! Just get out of here!" I yelled.
    "No!" She screamed. She pulled me to my feet and one of the beasts landed just inches before us. We froze in place.
    The others stood behind him, growling and fighting with each other. Maria held me tight. The huge dog barred his teeth, and began to slip into a crouching position. Maria closed her eyes.
    It all happened so quickly, my brain couldn't process what was happening. The Prince landed in front of us, positioning himself in a crouch as the huge dog pounced into the air. Alexander hissed and rose to his feet, and in one swift motion, he slammed his arm into the beast, sending him back roughly into a tree.
    It wept, and shook his head as it climbed onto its feet. Alex slipped back into a crouch, and snarled. The dogs began to back away, fearful of his wrath. As they disappeared into the forest, Alex rose to his feet and came to our aid. Maria broke apart from us, and dropped to her knees. Alex ignored her. My body shook roughly as I stood, frozen in place. I'm not sure if it was the cold, or the shock that spread through my entire body.
    Alex's eyes glowed a golden brown, his teeth long and sharp. My mind screamed for me to run from him yet, my body welcomed his ice-cold hands as he roughly gripped my face.
    "Why are you trying to leave me?" He growled. I felt my legs giving out on me, and I let myself fall into darkness.
    I'm not sure how long I was out. It could have been minutes, hours, or days. I felt a cool hand brush against my clammy forehead, causing my eyes to flutter open.
    "Thank god." He sighed, pressing his forehead to mine. I flinched, pushing away from him in fear.
    "It's okay love, you're safe. No one is going to hurt you." He promised. His eyes were calm, the beautiful chocolate that I adored so much. So many different emotions swept over me. I couldn't fathom what was happening to me.
    "What are you?" I asked.
    "Leigha relax, everything is alright." He assured me again. I ignored him, furious that he disregarded my question. I pushed his hand away, sitting up on the bed. I ignored the intense stinging pain from my leg.
    "Where is Maria?" I asked, sweeping my wild hair behind my shoulders. He smiled.
    "She's safe. I sent her home to her parents. What were you thinking, sneaking off like that?" He scolded. I rolled my eyes.
    "I know what I saw Alex, so there's no need to try and back out of this. I want answers. Please, I need to know what's going on." I begged.
    He turned away from