Soulless Candy: The Morningstar Series Book 2

Chapter 5: Max's P.O.V.

Fighting with Atiana was the hottest thing I've ever done with a woman. I'd never met anyone who could match me like that. When she first threw me into a tree I was more surprised than anything.

Snapping at her definitely wasn't a good idea. The look in Atiana's eyes had me regretting what I said. At first they swirled with red, which I realized meant she was angry, but then a soft gray took over the red.

At first I wasn't sure what that meant, but I could see the sadness in her eyes without the color letting me know. She was right. I had no idea what she had been through, and I was in no position to judge her.

During the rest of our fight I began getting excited, in many different ways. I was trying to focus on the fight, and not the fact that my d**k was hardening throughout all of this. That being said, I should not have put her in a bear hug.

As soon as I wrapped my arms around her, I felt all of these weird tingles throughout my body. I just chalked it up to the excitement of the fight. Atiana struggled in my arms, and it only excited me more. When she stopped, I thought she finally gave up, and I was excited she was going to while I had her like this.

Many dirty thoughts flooded my brain. I was distracted, and didn't realize what she was doing until I felt the smack of her head. I let her go, and stumbled back cursing under my breath.

Damn that hurt, I think she broke my fu.cking nose.

Atiana is fast, but I kept up blocking all of her attacks. When she swung her leg up to kick me, I grabbed her ankle. Smirking at her, I lifted her up, but she used that to her advantage.

She wrapped her free leg around my shoulders, and managed to get out of my hold. And to think I was holding on with all of my strength. I grabbed onto her thigh, and squeezed hard. I really, really wanted to turn her around so my face was between her legs instead of the back of my neck.

Before I could do anything, she started flinging herself back. Before I knew it, Atiana sent me flying backwards several feet. I landed on the ground, and hit my head on a tree that was lying on the forest floor. Darkness took over.

*********************************************

When I came to, I couldn't open my eyes right away. My head is throbbing. I feel warm all over, and despite the terrible headache, I'm lying on the most comfortable pillow.

I tried to open my eyes, and groaned when it only made my head hurt worse.

"Max? Are you awake?"

That's Atiana's voice.

Snapping my eyes open, I looked up into teal eyes. Atiana is staring down at me, worry etched across her face. Teal must mean worry. I couldn't help but feel happy that she's concerned about me.

Her ponytail is hanging lower due to our fight, and stray hairs stick out wildly around her face. She's leaning over me with my head in her lap. Her lips were slightly parted, and I had an urge to run my thumb across them.

I wonder how much pain she could handle in the bedroom. Shaking my head of the thoughts, I groaned again at the pain. I tried to sit up, but my body felt too heavy.

"Are you okay?" Atiana asked me softly.

"No." I groaned, and turned my head in her lap.

Pushing my face into her stomach I rolled my entire body over, and cuddled into her. Damn, she feels so good.

"I need a longer nap." I told her.

"Uh, wouldn't you like to do that in your bed?" She asked.

I could tell she was slightly uncomfortable, but I didn't care.

"I'm comfortable right here." I told her. "Besides, this is your fault so you owe me." I was only joking, and would have moved off of her had she asked.

Much to my surprise, Atiana rested one hand on my head, and the other on my arm. She rubbed my temples softly, and it already had my headache leaving.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

Pulling my head back, I looked up into her eyes. They had turned gray, and I instantly felt bad. I didn't think Atiana would care honestly. She started this whole fight, and all she did was knock me out.

"Hey, it's no big deal. I was only kidding." I said. "You just knocked me out. No biggie, right?"

I was trying to cheer her up, but she just furrowed her brow in confusion as her eyes turned blue. So, blue means confused, got it.

"You don't remember?" She asked.

Now it was my turn to be confused.

"Uh, I remember you throwing me into the forest with your gorgeous thighs, and my head hitting a tree." I told her as I remembered. "You really had a good hold on me with these thighs." I said as I brought my hand up to rub one.

Atiana's body stiffened, and her eyes swirled purple. Hmmm, does purple mean uncomfortable? No, that can't be it, or they would have been purple a minute ago.

Atiana cleared her throat, and shook her head.

"You released some power after. Did you know that your eyes turn completely gold and glow when you're in full power?" She asked.

I frowned.

"Full power?" I asked.

She only nodded.

"No?" I answered.

She seemed to think for a moment as she continued to rub my temple.

"Did you know you have power over shadows?" She asked.

I closed my eyes, and cuddled into her again. Damn, for a skinny girl, she sure is comfortable. I'd never even had a pillow that was this comfortable.

"Yeah I knew that." I told her.

There was a slight pause in her rubbing before she continued.

"Max is that your main power?" She asked.

"Yeah," I answered.

We were quiet for a while as she rubbed my headache away. I swear I could have fallen asleep again. I don't ever remember feeling this at peace in my life.

"Max?" Atiana whispered. I opened one eye at her. "Have you ever lost control before?" She asked me.

Her question had me shooting up from her lap. I almost whacked her in the chin, but thankfully she was quick to move back. Panic flooded my system as I looked her over. I grabbed her shoulders, and lifted her arms, inspecting all of her. Atiana just stared at me while I searched her.

After I was done inspecting, I found that she had no marks. I wasn't sure what I was expecting anyway. She's a Tribrid. If I had hurt her, she would have healed already. I grabbed her face with both my hands, forcing her to hold my gaze.

"Did I hurt you?" I asked.

Atiana's eyes widened and she shook her head in my hands frantically.

"No." She said softly. "You didn't hurt me at all."

I stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out if she was telling me the truth. In the end, I decided she was. I let my hands fall from her face, but I never took my eyes away from hers.

"So, uh, what did I do then?" I asked.

"I'm not sure what happened at first. I ran for the treeline, but the forest was covered in shadows. I wasn't really sure what was happening, so I ran in to find you, and-"

"You ran into the shadows?" I asked, interrupting her.

She nodded.

"Why would you do something so stupid?"

I didn't mean it to come out as nasty as it did.

Atiana frowned, and crossed her arms as her eyes turned red.

"I was worried about you." She said it so calmly, if it weren't for her eyes I wouldn't even know she was angry.

"That doesn't matter! You could have gotten hurt, or worse, killed!" I yelled at her. Atiana rolled her eyes at me. "Don't roll your fu.cking eyes at me." I said lowly.

Apparently, I have a big thing for Atiana Morningstar, because the moment she rolled her eyes I got pissed off. All I could think about was spanking her for rolling her eyes at me. I wasn't a Dom usually, but I really, really enjoyed giving a good spanking. I bet Atiana's ass turns a beautiful shade of red.

Does she like being spanked? I closed my eyes, and shook my head trying to get a grip on myself.

"I would have come back if you had killed me." She grumbled as she stood up. "I would have ran in for anyone who was possibly in trouble." She was wiping the dirt off of her pants.

"Well, that's stupid," I said as I stood up. She scoffed as she looked at me. I tower over her, and I love it. "That's how you get yourself killed." I told her.

Atiana stared at me wide-eyed for a moment before rolling them at me.

"What do you not understand by 'I can't stay dead'? I'm the perfect person to run into danger. It doesn't matter if I die. I always come back." She said.

Her eyes are back to a burning red.

"And what happens if one day you don't come back?" I asked.

She sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"It doesn't work like that."

When she opened her eyes they were back to her normal black.

"How does it work then?" I asked.

Atiana rolled her eyes at me again.

"Don't. Roll. Your fu.cking eyes. At. Me. Again," I warned.

Atiana looked me up and down, and for a second I thought she was going to challenge me. The thought had excitement stirring inside me. She sighed, and looked at the forest floor.

"None of this is the point," She said as she looked back up at me. "You were sitting in the middle of all the shadows. Your eyes were glowing, and you were just sitting there." She looked away from me again as she tried to recall everything. "The shadows wrapped around me, and you..." She trailed off.

I raised an eyebrow at her as her face reddened.

"You fell to the ground, and passed out. All of the shadows went back inside of you." She finished.

"I thought you said I didn't hurt you." I said, crossing my arms.

Atiana's eyes flickered down my chest for only a second, but I caught it. She just checked me out.

"You didn't," She stated.

I frowned at her. "How were the shadows able to touch you then?" I asked.

Atiana gave me a confused look before shaking her head and waving her arms.

"Okay wait. I need more information about your shadows. Do they normally hurt people?" She asked me.

I sighed, and uncrossed my arms.

"I need a drink," I said, and turned to walk back to where we came.

Once I broke the treeline though, I wasn't sure where to go for a drink. I needed something stronger than beer.

"This way," Atiana said as she walked past me towards the huge mansion.

"Are we allowed in there?" I asked as she opened the front door.

She turned around, and gave me an amused look. Her eyes swirled with flecks of yellow, but I wasn't exactly sure that meant.

"Yeah we're allowed here." She told me as she walked through.

I followed her through a foyer, past a large living room, and into a large kitchen. There is a large table off the side of the kitchen, and a bar attached to the island. I pulled out a stool, and sat down as Atiana searched through the cupboards.

"Who lives here?" I asked her. "Seems kind of quiet for such a big place." I commented.

She pulled out two glasses and a brown liquor. Pouring us two glasses, she answered me.

"I do. My family is on vacation for the summer. Well, most of them." She told me.

My eyes bulged. "You live here?" I asked, stunned. Atiana nodded as she handed me my glass. "Wow. Place is nice. You guys must be loaded." I said.

Atiana shrugged as she sipped her drink.

"Kinda have to have a big place with such a big family." She said.

"Ah, yes. The infamous 12 Terrors." I teased.

"Huh?" She asked as her eyes swirled blue.

I chuckled. "You don't know what they call you?" I asked, amused.

Atiana's features turned to shock, and maybe something else I couldn't place. Her eyes turned a white/gray color as she shook her head.

"I didn't know they called us the 12 Terrors, but I'm not surprised." She said as she tossed back the rest of her drink.

She poured herself another glass as I spoke.

"I guess it isn't very nice is it?" She shrugged. "Don't you care?" I asked.

Atiana seemed to think for a moment before shaking her head.

"Not really. People say a lot about us. I'm immune to their ignorance. It's mostly why I was such a good choice to take over the school instead of my older sister." She told me.

"You aren't the oldest?" I asked.

Honestly, I didn't know a whole lot about the Morningstar's. I heard a lot of rumors about them. Can't say I wanted to meet the ones they called the Soulless or the Deranged.

I didn't want to talk about the bad part of them though. I wanted to know who they are as people. I spent my whole life thinking they were evil, but after meeting Atiana I was starting to think Bruce was right this whole time. Maybe the Morningstar's aren't so bad.

"No, I'm the second oldest." She told me.

"Must have never had a dull moment with 11 siblings." I said, laughing.

Atiana smiled at me, and I realized that she didn't do that very often. I wonder why not. She has an absolutely beautiful smile. One I want to see more often.

"Most of them are irritating, and like to cause trouble. Aureaila is the oldest." She told me as she looked down at her glass. "She was the glue that held us all together. She always made time for each of us."

I didn't need to see her eyes, I could hear the sadness in her voice.

"Where is she now?" I asked softly.

Atiana gave a small smile, and looked back up at me.

"She found her mate a year ago. Do you know a lot about Werewolves?" She asked.

I nodded. "I know quite a bit. We hunt down a lot of rouges." I told her.

"Does the Lycan King pay you for them?" She asked.

Again, I nodded. "Yeah. The old Lycan King dealt with our leader, Bruce, a lot. Around the time the new Lycan King took over was when I started getting more responsibility. I've met Ryce on several occasions. He seems like a cool guy. Most of the time, wolves stick to their own kind, but he seems to have brought an open-minded perspective to them."

"Yeah, well, he is a Hybrid." She mumbled with a smile. "Have you heard that he has a Luna now?" She asked.

There is a twinkle in her eye that has me wanting to play along. I knew that the Lycan King's mate was a Morningstar. I wasn't sure which one, but word does travel fast.

"No." I said, shaking my head.

"He and my sister are mates. They actually have quite the story," She said. I wanted to ask more, but her next words stopped me.

"But anyways. We are supposed to be talking about you." She said as she filled my glass.

I sighed.

"The first time it happened was when I was a kid." I started. "I was protecting a friend of mine, and I accidently killed someone. I don't feel bad about it, he deserved it." I said. "After that we tried getting me to do it again. To let the shadows out, but it never worked. I trained daily, and that was how we found out about my super strength and speed." I said chuckling.

Atiana smiled at me while she listend. Damn she had a beautiful smile. I wonder what her laugh sounds like.

"Anyway, it didn't happen again until my first mission alone. I was trying to protect an innocent bystander, and she died."

I looked down at my glass.

"I accidentally killed her. After that, I think I was too afraid to dabble more in it. Everything the shadows touched got burned, leaving behind scorch marks. Bruce trained me to control myself so it didn't happen again. I trained every single day to make sure that I never had to depend on the shadows again. I make sure that I'm enough on my own." I finished.

I looked up at Atiana, and she seemed to be studying me. Her eyes were a light gray, and I wondered if she was pitying me.

"So it never happened after you passed out?" She asked. I shook my head. "That's why you thought you hurt me." She didn't say it like a question, but more of a statement. I nodded anyway.

Downing my glass, she filled it up again.

"Your shadows didn't hurt me at all." She told me. "Some of them helped me find you actually. I didn't detect any malice. Maybe they are attached to your emotions, and that's why they hurt people in the past." She offered.

"Maybe.." I trailed off thinking. "Did I say anything? Do anything? I don't remember how I was feeling."

Atiana's eyes turned orange, and her face reddened.

"Nope." She said, shaking her head.

I didn't buy it, but I decided to leave it alone.

"Do you know what I could possibly be?" I asked hopefully.

She met my eyes again, and shook her head slowly.

"The only other time I've seen shadows similar to yours was when me, or one of my siblings used our darkness."

I scrunched my face up.

"Darkness?" I asked.

Atiana nodded as she sipped her drink.

"We all have a powerful darkness in us. No one is really sure how it works, since we are the first of our kind. Only three of us have discovered it so far. I was only five when it happened. It was in the middle of the night. I was having some kind of nightmare about being attacked by a large man. I exploded my room." She told me.

"For me it was easy to control after that. My darkness comes in the form of shadows too, but not like yours. They stay and wait for me to call on them. My younger sister Akeehla is a different story altogether. Aureaila released hers very recently when Ryce was almost killed. Her's also came in the form of shadows, but I'm not sure she knows how to call on it like I do." She told me, and then looked back into my eyes.

"But you are different. I would say a demon, but I've never seen a demon with glowing golden eyes before." She said.

I shrugged as she looked at me.

We held each others gaze for what felt like hours. I watched as her eyes swirled with pink and I wondered, once again, what she was feeling. I wanted to reach out and touch her, but I held back. Never in my life had I wanted someone as badly as I wanted Atiana Morningstar.

"Can I call you Tia?" I asked, breaking our silence.

It took Atiana a moment to react.

She shook her head, and said, "Huh"?

I chuckled at her.

"Everyone calls you Tia. Can I?" I asked again.

"Uhm, sure." She said with a shrug.

I was about to ask her something else when her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket, and frowned at whoever it was.

"Hello?" She said, and then a pause.

"No, Acaisia, you cannot." She said irritated.

Another pause.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Pause.

Atiana sighed heavily.

"Please don't make my life harder Acaisia."

A short pause.

"I am annoyed." She grumbled making me chuckle. "You haven't been taking your training seriously, and you want me to let you go out on a mission?"

Pause.

"That's not a thing in this case."

Pause.

Suddenly Tia's body straightened, and her eyes flickered to me for a moment.

"Now's not a good time." She mumbled. "Because I'm busy Acaisia." Tia sighed again, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I will talk to you about this later. Go train." She said sternly before ending the call.

Huffing, she took my glass and hers to the sink.

I raised an eyebrow at her side as she angrily washed our cups.

"Trouble in paradise?" I teased.

Tia huffed again.

"My sister is just annoying." Was all she said.

She slammed one of the glasses in the sink breaking it.

"Sh.it." She mumbled.

I walked around the island to help her clean it up when she winced and pulled her hand away.

I grabbed her hand, and she fought me for a moment.

"Let me see." I demanded as I yanked her hand back to me.

She sliced along her hand, and up her pointer finger.

"I'll heal, it's really no-" She stopped when I put her finger in my mouth.

We kept eye contact as I sucked on her finger. Her eyes swirled with purple again as she watched me. Something about the way she stared at me had all sorts of thoughts running through my head. I have to admit I sucked on her finger longer than I needed to, and I do not care.

How can someone's skin taste so good?

"I think that I'm healed up now." She whispered. I popped her finger out of my mouth, and frowned. Tia pulled her hand back, and looked it over before turning her eyes to me. "Why did you do that?" She asked as her face scrunched up in her cute angry face.

"My saliva has healing properties," I said with a shrug.

Tia stared at me like I was crazy for a minute.

"Your saliva has healing properties?" She asked it like she didn't believe me, but I only nodded in response. "I heal just fine on my own." She said.

Her eyes swirled with so many different colors I couldn't count them all.

"Sorry." I breathed out.

It was a lame attempt, but the truth is, I'm not sorry at all. I almost wish she'd cut herself again, so I had another reason to taste her.

Without thinking about it, I took another step towards her. She backed up into the countertop. I watched as her eyes swirled purple with specks of pink.

"Max.." She whispered.

Something inside of me snapped when she said my name like that. I closed the space between us completely, and looked down at her. She only comes up to my chest.

Tia looked up at me with wide innocent eyes, and it only loosened my control more. I love the innocent girls, and I was starting to think Atiana Morningstar was more innocent than anyone else I'd ever been with.

Placing each hand on the countertops around her, I boxed her in.

"Can I ask you something?"

She nodded.

"Everyone seemed really shocked you went on a date. Why?" I asked.

She just stared up at me as her cheeks reddened more.

"Why?" I asked again.

"Because I've been waiting for my mate," She said.

I smiled down at her.

"So you're still a virgin."

It wasn't a question, but Tia's face turned even more red as she nodded. My eyes flickered down to her pouty lips, and then back to her eyes. "Have you ever even been kissed?" I asked. She nodded as she stared into my eyes.

I frowned. "You have?"

She nodded again.

"How far have you gone?" I asked again.

Admittedly, I was prying. I knew that, but she answered everything I asked, and it was making me push my luck.

"Tia." I said it dangerously.

Again, I was pushing it, but damn I just wanted to bend her over, and turn her ass as red as her face.

"That was it." She answered.

I smiled. That made me happy. Not only that she listened like a good girl, but that she had no experience whatsoever. I want to teach her everything. I wonder if she'd let me.

"Was it good?" I asked her.

"Huh?" She breathed out, making me chuckle.

The purple in her eyes glowed brighter.

"Your first kiss, was it good?" I asked again.

She better tell me no.

"It was alright I guess." I couldn't help the laugh that rumbled out of my chest.

"Alright you guess?" I asked, and she nodded. "Dude must have been a sh.itty kisser."

Tia shrugged.

"I didn't feel anything." She said simply.

"I can see you feel something now." I whispered as I bent my head down to her. "I wonder if you'd feel anything if I pressed my lips to your soft ones right now." I kept my voice at a whisper.

Tia's eyes turned completely purple. I want to know what that fuc.king means. I was about to risk it, and pressed my lips to hers when the front door slammed shut.

"Tia, where the hell are you? I can smell you here!"

A vaguely familiar females voice called out.

I watched as Tia's face turned red again, and her eyes turned orange. She pushed me away with ease, and cleared her throat.

"I'm in the kitchen, Acaisia."