Burn: Dragon Shifter Romance

by Ava Frost

  “Oops!”

  It was the wicked witch of Ohio herself, Samantha, flanked by her minions. She took a deep breath and bent down to pick up her books. She was most certainly not going to engage with a bunch of empty headed girls. But as she reached for her note pad, Samantha stepped on it and Delia slowly raised her head to look up at her.

  “A little birdie told me that you’re into Marshall,” she said with such scorn that Delia cringed inwardly.

  But this girl had the wrong end of the story, and Delia was not planning on being intimidated by her or her friends, she plucked her notepad from under Samantha’s foot and stood up.

  “It’s more like he is into me,” she said – literally – she thought smiling inwardly.

  Samantha threw her head back and laughed, “Oh please, you’re delirious, who would bother looking at you, you haven’t had a boyfriend for ages, and I can see why. You’re a typical loser who would settle for anyone just because you have nothing going for you.”

  The words stung but Delia refused to let it show, instead she stepped forward and pushed her way through the trio of bitches, deliberately shoving them out the way. And as she walked away from them they kept giggling and calling her names. It was like being back in high school again, she half expected that people in college would have outgrown their bitchiness, but clearly that was not the case.

  The next morning she decided not to go to class, and the morning that followed she came to the same conclusion. By Thursday, both her mom and dad was concerned that she may have come down with something.

  “Delia!” Aiden called and knocked relentlessly on her door, “Mrs. Elbridge wants to know when you’re coming back.”

  “Never,” she mumbled into her pillow.

  “Delia, open the fucking door!” her brother shouted again.

  “Go away Aiden!” she shouted.

  “Will the two of you just stop shouting? Delia open the door,” this time she had no choice. She couldn’t exactly chase her dad away.

  “Geez, what’s with this cave girl bullshit, everyone’s been looking for you at school,” Aiden said as he barged into her room.

  “Nothing I just don’t feel like going, is that so hard to comprehend?”

  “Well, if your name is Delia Riggs, then yes, so what the fuck’s going on?” he asked this time a bit more compassionately.

  Well, I fucked Marshall, or rather he fucked me, I liked it and it’s over. “Nothing in particular I’m just having an off week,” she lied and turned around to flop back down on her bed.

  There was just so much she wanted to talk about, but when it boiled down to the reality of her mismanaged world, she had no real friend who would understand her sudden obsession with Marshall, or the fact that she hated herself for it. She couldn’t exactly talk to Aiden; that made about as much sense as a serial killer marching into the FBI headquarters, expecting to be pardoned.

  “Listen sis, I don’t know what’s happened, or why you’re suddenly so, I don’t know, not you, but you have me worried, so if there’s anything I can do to help just say the word, Marshall and I have your back.”

  At that Delia couldn’t help but burst out laughing, “Marshall, that’s just lovely, a spineless prick as my protector.”

  The moment the words were out of her mouth, and she noticed Aiden’s brows draw together she cringed inwardly.

  “Why is Marshall a spineless prick?” he asked curiously.

  “I’m just talking nonsense, I don’t need any help,” she lied and then turned and opened her closet, “If you wait for me, I’ll hitch a ride with you and go face my demons.”

  “You have some serious issues, and to think we’re related,” Aiden said and tossed a stuffed animal at her, “hurry up, I have a few stops to make on our way to campus.”

  Delia was ready in no time, with little effort, wearing a pair of pedal pusher pants, a plain T and sandals with her hair haphazardly tied into a bun in the nape of her neck. The less attention she drew to herself the better, and maybe if she pulled off the Cinderella look, she wouldn’t have insecure Samantha hovering like an evil step sister to make her life a miserable hell.

  First stop – Marshall Davidson’s Residence – and Delia felt like running back home, but instead she sunk down in the bucket seat blending in like a chameleon on a pink yoga mat. This wasn’t awkward at all, she thought as they exchanged uncomfortable hellos and then each stared aimlessly out the windows at the passing scenery. Or that was at least the image she painted in her head. She wouldn’t dare look at Aiden either, because she knew for a fact that he was starting to pick up on the vibe. And if he wasn’t, he was even dafter than she thought and she would be ashamed to be known as his twin sister.

  Chapter 6

  Marshall itched to just reach around the car seat and touch Delia’s arm, but she was clearly not herself. He hated to think that he could be the cause of her despondent mood, but if he recalled, she was the one who broke things off with him. Wait… they never dated, so she dumped him before they had a fighting chance, so if she dumped him, why was she so upset?

  “You okay Delia?” he asked as he leaned forward.

  “I’m fine,” she said blankly, refusing to look at him.

  “Okay then,” Marshall said and flopped back against the seat.

  He didn’t miss the deadly glare he got in the rear view mirror from Aiden, but there was no way he was going to stir the pot now, if anything he would at least get a chance to talk to Delia alone.

  He glanced out the window but the scenery that passed by was just a blur, all he could think of was how depressed Delia was, and how her smile had somehow faded. The past few days had been a living hell not being able to catch a glimpse of the girl, no the woman, who had managed to wedge her way into his heart. For a guy who ran away as far as possible from commitment, and fucked a new girl every chance he got, it was a big deal. But Aiden knew him and Aiden warned him often enough to steer clear of his sister. It was just easier said than done.

  They pulled up to the campus, and without a word, Delia got out of the car and hurried across the courtyard to the Library.

  “Wait up!” Aiden called as he rounded the car, “What’s the deal with Delia?” he asked.

  “How should I know?” Marshall lied and leaned against the car crossing his arms.

  “Well something is going on, this morning when I mentioned your name she called you a spineless prick, and now in the car you seemed pretty interested in her current mood.”

  “So a guy can’t ask if a girl’s okay when it’s obvious that she has shit on her mind?” he countered.

  “You don’t care what girls have on their minds, only what’s in their panties,” Aiden retorted.

  Marshall chuckled and pushed off from the car, “Well it beats me, I was just being nice, and she’s your sister.”

  Aiden shrugged and rubbed the back of his head, “She’s just been acting really fucked up. I’ve never seen her like this.”

  Marshall could see that Aiden was really worried, but if he let anything slip, his balls might end up in the back of his throat, and he was more than willing to be kicked in the ass, but not until he figured out for himself what was troubling Delia.

  The rest of the morning, Marshall went to class as normal and in between lectures he deliberately waited for a sign of Delia, but she never showed. When he finally had enough, he went down to the library to find her. That was the only place he figured she would be and he was right.

  She looked sad, or morbid, either way, she wasn’t her usual self. He walked over to where she sat at the computer behind the counter, “Can we talk?”

  Her deadpanned expression didn’t help his confidence, which was usually above average, “I want to know what’s bugging you,” he tried.

  “I’m fine,” she said and smiled from ear to ear, but her smile did not reach those topaz blue eyes.

  “You could have fooled me, somehow I think you’re avoiding me,” he continued.

  S
he laughed and shook her head, “Why would I spend my time wasting my energy on such a trivial thing? Don’t flatter yourself, now if you don’t mind I have a lot of catching up to do, and you have a leech to keep happy.”

  What the fuck did that mean, he wondered and remained in one place while she carried on data capturing. She ignored him like a stop sign and when he finally couldn’t stand it anymore he reached over the counter and covered her hands with his.

  She looked up and glared at him, a muscle ticked in her jaw and her brows drew together cleaving a line, splitting her forehead. But she immediately looked past him and then tugged her hands free and spun around, marching into the back office.

  What the…he thought and turned around expecting to see Aiden, but it wasn’t him. It was Samantha. She barely read, what the hell was she doing in the library, he thought as he walked over to her.

  “Have you lost your way?” he asked irritably.

  “No but it looks like you need a guide,” she said and smiled bitter sweet then latched on to him like a leech in polluted water – just like a leech. And then it dawned on him, Delia was jealous of Samantha, and he didn’t blame her. The way she carried on with him had most people suspecting that they were a couple, and his behavior around her didn’t help the rumours.

  “I’m good thanks, I need to head to practice,” he said and shoved past her.

  “I’ll see you on the field sexy!” she smugly called after him.

  He didn’t bother to look back; all he needed to do was escape the clutches of Jezebel.

  Chapter 7

  Delia survived the day at college; even with Marshall hovering at the library, she held her own. She could do this, she thought as she looked at herself in the mirror. No more moping and sulking, she said to herself. Instead of her usual nerdy appearance she went for something completely different, modern and sexy. Her hair was also not tied in a bun this time. She didn’t need Marshall to make her feel good; she could feel good all on her own.

  “You look stunning sweetheart,” her mother complemented her as she headed out the door.

  “Thanks mom, see you later!”

  She had also turned down Aiden’s offer to take her to campus, and decided to take the bus. Today she felt like a summer breeze that filled the morning air bringing new hope and she refused to let anyone change that.

  When she finally got to campus a strange feeling settled in the pit of her stomach when the first group of students stared at her. And by the second bunch of stares she became even more nervous. She shrugged it off as her mind playing trick on her but as soon as she entered through the doors to the Siegfried hall, where she attended her communications classes she froze. Samantha and her triage of friends were all waiting for her. Her earlier uplifting mood disappeared like a mirage in a desert. This doesn’t look promising at all, she thought.

  A few other students who stood in the hallway all stopped and looked as Samantha glided forward like a witch on a broom stick, and when she whipped her phone out and showed it to her, Delia winced. There in living color was a photo of her and Marshall in the library kissing.

  “You do know that he’s just playing you, don’t you?” Samantha asked and smirked, “It was all just a setup, to prove to the world what a slut you really are.”

  “That’s not true and you know it!” Delia ground out.

  “How else do you think we got the pics? He told us all about his plan. You’re such a fool!”

  The students around them laughed and Delia felt as if her world was crumbling. How could she have been so dumb? She scolded herself, she should have known he wasn’t interested in her, but she went ahead with this notion that somehow someone liked her for who she was. Tears stung her eyes, as Samantha continued sliding through picture after picture, luckily for her, most of the pictures only showed them kissing and there was no detail below the shoulders. But the pictures were enough for anyone to make their own assumptions.

  “Samantha!”

  It was Marshall who came barging in through the doors, and he looked pissed as hell, but he had no idea just how pissed off she was, and when Delia laid eyes on him she saw red. She spun around and marched up to him shoving him backwards.

  “You’re a real piece of shit!” she shouted.

  “Calm the fuck down,” he ground out and looked over her head at Samantha.

  That was the last straw, she was blind with rage and as the palm of her hand collided with his cheek, it sent a shockwave of pain up into her shoulder. But her pain was worth it as she looked at Marshall’s wide eyed expression of shock.

  “You’re as pathetic as that girlfriend of yours, I hope you fucking die!”

  Without a word, Delia stormed out and ran, tears streaming down her face. She never wanted to see this place again. As soon as she got home she planned to ask for a transfer to another university.

  “Delia, wait!” Marshall called after her, but she refused to stop, and when Aiden passed her, red faced and looking very determined she silently wished that her brother would re-arrange Marshall’s face permanently.

  *******

  “Marshall you fucking bastard, that’s my sister!” he shouted and launched his first attack, hitting Marshall down to the ground.

  “Fuck man!” Marshall said rubbing his jaw as he tried to get up.

  Aiden pulled his phone out and shoved it in Marshall’s face, “Explain this! I warned you, and you went ahead and fucking messed around with my sister!”

  Aiden flew into Marshall and threw another punch, which Marshall managed to block, and as they threw punches at each other, yelling and cursing, the crowd started to gather. They stumbled into each other in a wrestling embrace and hit the floor. Shirts ripped and noses bleeding they didn’t stop until one of the lecturers stormed into the mix and shoved them apart.

  “Both of you go to the Dean’s office, right this minute!” Mr. Benson ground out, “Move along everyone, there’s nothing to see here.”

  Marshall’s face didn’t hurt half as much as his ego or his heart. He knew Samantha was a bitch, but what she did today was beyond the title ‘bitch’, and he had yet to come up with the correct word to describe her.

  Aiden walked up ahead, shoulders bowed and head hanging low, but his stride was determined.

  “If you let me explain what the fuck happened…” Marshall started.

  “Fuck you, and fuck your huddle of whores,” Aiden retorted refusing to listen to him.

  Marshall shot forward and grabbed Aiden by the shoulder, “Just fucking listen, I didn’t plan that shit. I’m in love with Delia.”

  Even as he said it, it sounded foreign, but it felt right. He was in love with her, and he didn’t give a shit whether or not Aiden approved.

  “I’m in love with your sister,” he said again, “Now, you can hate me for the rest of your life and see if I care, but I have more important things to think about right now, so you can carry on like a moron or help me fix this shit, but either way, I’m going to find her and fix this.”

  Aiden spun around and grabbed Marshall by the scruff, “How the fuck do you intend on fix this shit, the entire campus has seen your little display of affection in the library, and now my sister being looked at like a slut!”

  Marshall cursed under his breath and swiped Aiden’s hands away, “I’ll fix this no matter what it takes. And you mark my words; Samantha’s played her last fucking game.”

  Aiden glared at him and then pinched the bridge of his nose, “This is such a fucked up mess, and it’s my fault.”

  “How the hell is it your fault, Delia is an adult and so am I, we both knew what we were doing.”

  Marshall leaned back against the wall and rubbed his hands down over his face, then winced. Aiden really had a good left swing, no doubt.

  “Marshall, baby, are you okay?” Samantha cried out as she came running over to him, but as she reached up to stroke his cheek he grabbed her by her wrist.

  “If anyone is a slut, it’s you. And the fact tha
t you went through such lengths to try and ruin someone I care for shows what kind of person you really are,” he ground out.

  “B-b-but I was just trying to prove a point, she was so easy…”

  Marshall grabbed her by her arm, and squeezed so hard, he was sure that he was bruising her arm, but he didn’t give a crap.

  “Let’s get one thing straight, you and I, there’s nothing, never was and never will be. What you did was inexcusable. And to tell you the honest truth, Delia is much more woman than you ever will be,” he said between gritted teeth before letting her go.

  All of a sudden cheers erupted around them; everyone who just witnessed this little display of non-chivalrous charm that bordered on raising a hand toward a woman seemed pleased that Samantha was finally put in her place. And even as Samantha stumbled off balance, her friend simply stepped out of her way and let her fall flat on her ass.

  Aiden put his hand on Marshall’s shoulder and grinned, “Now that’s the kind of guy I wouldn’t mind being with my sister, but you have some serious grovelling to do.”

  Marshall smirked and patted his friends shoulder, “It’s going to require a miracle if I ever want her to talk to me again.”

  “You made your bed bro, that’s all I can say.

  Chapter 8

  A few days later, Delia lay quietly on her bed. Her transfer to West Virginia was approved, but she couldn’t transfer until after the holidays, and with two weeks of the semester still left, she refused to set foot on campus again. She had several missed calls from the one and only Marshall, and even Aiden tried to convince her to talk to him, but she would have none of it. Her name had been tainted forever.

  “Delia!” her mother called from downstairs.

  “Coming,” she called back and then got up. Her mother asked her earlier to help her with the birthday cake for her dad.

  As she got to the kitchen her mother was nowhere in sight, but she could smell candle wax from the living room. Surely her mother didn’t go ahead and finish the cake already. She looked at the clock realizing that she had been locked in her room for only twenty minutes since her mother asked her for help. As she walked through to the living room she stopped in her tracks. Marshall was standing in front of her with a bunch of red roses in his hand.