Blood, Fire and Vampire Slayers: Jasper Hale love story Book #2

14: Frienemies

A beast with burgundy scales came gliding down from the stratus clouds. Astrid saw the others coming out onto the large wooden deck below the balcony to get a look. Alex must have had practice making herself invisible to human eyes, otherwise anyone could have spotted her flying through the sky like a giant red banner with a golden mane, long and wingless, buoyed by the power of the elements.

"If anything crazy happens, don't panic," said Klaus.

"What do you mean 'crazy'?" Astrid asked, but Klaus was already pulling himself onto the balcony railing and launching off of it with a great leap. Astrid turned her head away from the blinding flash of fire as he transformed in mid-air and pushed up into the air with a strong beat of his wings. She darted inside to get her shoes and a jacket.

Klaus had climbed high into the atmosphere and the red dragon was circling him by the time Astrid made it downstairs and out onto the deck with the others. The dragoness was more than twice his length. His neck could fit in her jaws. The clouds swirled with a supernatural charge. Thunder rumbled and suddenly she whipped her tail right into him. Klaus was sent cartwheeling through the air. He spread his wings wide to right himself and then dove down towards the forest. With a flash of lightning, the red dragoness pursued him.

Bella took hold of Edward's hand. "Please tell me that's not a friend of the Shadow's," she said, glancing between Jake and Jasper.

"That's Alexandra Hoffman," said Astrid.

"That's his mom?" said Emmett. "She's huge."

"You should see his dad," said Jake.

"I don't think I want to," Bella murmured.

Alex caught up while Klaus was looking for a spot to land. She swooped below his left wing, flipping him over, and he fell gracelessly into the trees with snapping branches and squawking birds. She circled and then snaked in after him. Lightning flickered in the clouds, and it was answered by a roar instead of thunder. Klaus came shooting up over the trees, landing in the Cullen's back yard, and turning to face the woods. There were pine needles caught in his mane and his white scales were streaked with soil from the fall. Astrid tried to steel herself against the panic she was feeling. The dragoness was a far cry from the woman she'd met. Cold fingers brushed her wrist. She glanced down as Jasper took her hand gently and Astrid gave him a grateful smile. The dragoness came stalking out from the shadows of the forest. Her long whiskers bristled with a growl that vibrated in the chests of everyone watching. Her eyes were fierce amber, her horns and talons dark, and veined with fine threads of gold. Like her son, she was both beautiful and terrifying. She was a head taller than him and she looked even bigger as she arched her long spine.

Klaus backed away from her until his heels were against the bottom step. The others backed away too. For a moment the dragoness seemed to calm down, but when she took another step forward Klaus raised his head defiantly. In the blink of an eye, she lunged. Klaus wasn't quick enough to avoid her. Astrid's heart skipped a beat when the dragoness's mouth closed around his neck for a moment. She pushed him onto his back and Klaus squirmed, but Alex had him pinned, and she didn't hesitate. She bit his right wing close to the shoulder and Klaus shrieked, but as quickly as it happened, it was over. She got off of him and Klaus stood up. He looked at his shoulder where his scales had been pierced and a bit of the wing was torn. He turned back and the wound shrunk proportionately. His sleeve was ripped and there was blood prickling out of the punctures. The dragoness was consumed in black flames that shrank into the small body of a mixed-race woman. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a braid away from her tanned face with her button nose and big dark eyes. Those who had never seen Alexandra before blinked in surprise.

"Das ist nicht fair!" Klaus shouted. He didn't seem half as intimidated by the punishment as they thought he should have been.

"The way you have behaved, I should have both your wings clipped!" Alex scolded in English. She wanted them all to understand her. "You dragged your friend into this and he almost lost his life next to a sworn enemy. Do you realise what you could have done?"