Page 35 of Mortal Mate (Shadow Shifter)

“That sounds plausible, but that raises another question about reaper feeding. Why does human blood make reapers immortal when animal blood barely sates the shadow shifters?”

Steele sighed. “That is the will of mother nature. Killing an animal is not murder.”

“The wolf killing a rabbit thing again?” she asked.

“Yes. Do you recall a story about a plane crash where the humans were forced to eat their fallen brethren? Was that a sin?”

She shook her head. “They would’ve died, and the people they ate were dead from the crash.”

Steele nodded. “So, eating the humans wasn’t evil?”

She rolled her shoulders. “No. Gross, but not evil.”

“It is the same for shadow shifters. We must feed or we will die or turn reaper. The second is the worst. We hunt in our animal form as nature intended, whether blood or flesh. The result is the same and cannot be considered evil.”

She pursed her lips. “That doesn’t answer my question. I don’t understand how murdering a human, drinking their blood, makes reapers immortal.”

Raine cleared his throat. “It isn’t just human blood. It’s the fear. The adrenaline that pumps through their veins, knowing they will die. We inject our prey with the sedative. If they’re not asleep when death comes for them, they feel little. We do not get an adrenaline rush from our kill.”

“What would happen if you didn’t inject your prey with the sedative?” Dannika asked.

“It has happened. Young ones forget to release the sedative, and an animal is caused unnecessary stress., but they view death differently than humans. They accept it as part of the natural order. Humans fight it to the bitter end, even knowing it’s unavoidable.”

Dannika paced around the living room. She felt the men watching her. Her mind rolled from one scenario to the next. “What if reapers stopped feeding on humans? What would happen to them?”

CHAPTER17

Raine approached Dannika and put his hand on her back because he needed the contact. The moonlight filtered through the branches, highlighting her perfect skin: ivory satin that surrounded the green emeralds of her eyes.

His wolf growled in his ear as he fought his shadow, the demon intent on keeping what it had claimed. He was in dangerous territory. The urge to fight and kill Colton was overwhelming. His control teetered on the brink of detonation. One false move and he would be the catalyst for a clan war.

He looked down when Dannika put her hand on his stomach.

“Did you hear me?” she asked.

He nodded. “I was thinking. I suppose the reapers would become mortal, but it has never happened. Their animals are dead and can’t be resurrected. Honestly, a mortal reaper is unfathomable.”

She turned toward him, calming his animal. “If there’s a way to rehabilitate the reapers, we could avert a war.”

Raine searched her face. This was what her patrons at the shelter had seen. In their darkest hour, she had been a shining light. He found it ironic that light now belonged to the shadows.

“It’s never been tried. I can’t promise it would work.”

Dannika leaned toward him. “Is there some way to find out?”

Colton and Steele stared at one another.

“Did our forefather’s try this?” Colton asked.

Steele shook his head. “While we experimented with reversing the transition, we never tried to rehabilitate a reaper. No reaper would willingly give up human blood.”

Dannika tapped her lip with her finger. “We would have to trap a reaper and starve him. Feed him animal blood if he would drink it. If we could bag a reaper, how long before he becomes mortal?”

Steele shook his head. “While theoretically possible, there are no guarantees. Becoming mortal may kill a reaper not conform him.”

Colton’s eyes darted away from Steele as he rubbed his neck.

Raine focused on the cagey cougar. “What is it, Colton?”

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