Page 26 of Mortal Mate (Shadow Shifter)

Dannika glanced at the swirling dark script. “Do the reapers have them?”

“Yes. Reapers keep all their shadow gifts as these extend from our demon soul, not our animals.”

“Why do the reapers have all the advantages?” she asked.

Raine winked at her. “They don’t have you.”

Not yet.The thought filtered through her mind before she could censure it.

She flashed Raine a reassuring smile, though her insides felt hollow. “You mentioned before that a reaper is strengthened by killing humans. What effect does it have on shadow abilities?”

Raine’s jaw ticked before he answered. “Reapers strengthen their demons by allowing their animal to perish. They lose their animal and their ability to reproduce, but their shadow demon is stronger as are their gifts.”

Her eyes widened. “Their abilities are stronger than ours?”

“Yes.”

She folded her arms. “Well, that sucks ass.”

“It’s comforting to know that your eloquence was unaffected by your transition.”

Her retort died on her lips as the black script reappeared in the air. “What does it say?”

Colton glanced at her with black eyes. “The reapers have killed a man in Graydon County. His apartment is a few blocks away from the shelter. The kill is fresh, so we need to investigate before the police arrive.”

Footsteps thudded on the floor above their head.

Raine looked up. “We’re about to have company. Colton, you have the location of the apartment. You lead, and Dannika and I will follow you.”

Colton moved to the corner of the room before his shadow emerged and he dissolved into the darkness.

Raine enveloped Dannika’s body with his shadow before she allowed hers to emerge, combining their essence. The jolt of lust, love, and pain was a wicked combination. The hollow shell she had created to protect her heart crumbled against Raine’s unfailing loyalty and protection. The sensation of her skin ripping from her body preceded the speed of moving through the dark pathway.

They zipped through the streams, intersecting one another before coming to an abrupt halt. The end of the pathway hit them like an invisible wall. They tumbled against Colton’s back, clutching the carpet while they orientated themselves.

“What just happened?” Dannika asked.

Raine stood before helping her to her feet. “Light trap.”

Dannika glanced around the living room. Black leather couches, a white coffee table, and tall silver lamps gave the impression the owner took pride in his home.

“What’s a light trap?”

Colton huffed. “Surrounding a shadow with light makes it impossible for him to travel in the pathways. We need to connect with the shadows, the darkness, in order to travel.”

She pointed at the lamps. “It’s well lit, but we aren’t surrounded.”

Raine walked over to the lamp aimed at the corner. “Someone put a timer on this lamp. It activated the light switch seconds before we exited the shadow pathway.”

“That explains why I ended up with carpet burn, but what’s the point?”

“It causes a disturbance in the pathway, alerting the reapers that we have arrived. It’s also painful and embarrassing when you land on your face. Taunting us is a reaper pastime.”

“Reapers are dicks. Got it,” Dannika said before she strolled to the bathroom and opened a top cabinet.

Raine checked the bedroom while Colton made his way to the kitchen.

Dannika grabbed the stack of mail sitting on a small, organized desk with a laptop and a phone.

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