A Reaper Made Read Online Free PDF Page A

that?” Tully’s face dropped at my question. The hesitation was enough to tell me everything, and he knew that I’d seen it. When he spoke, his voice was lined with wonder and fear.
    “No, I…I suppose not.” He shook his head. “There has never been a question. We are between the two worlds, made to guide souls. We take no sides, we are no threat. We do not procreate; we only invite other souls to be like us.”
    “Tully, the Reapers who have disappeared, who are they?”
    He cleared his throat before speaking. “There are others, but the ones I know are Samuel, Roslyn, and Michael.”
    I followed my gut instinct and blurted out my next question. “Were they all True Reapers? Or were they invited in like you and me?”
    Tully’s face clouded in confusion. “What would that matter?”
    “Humor me.”
    “Aye, they were like us. Made.”
    My heart sank - well, it felt like it did, anyway - as I considered the details. What if Mades were the targets? We were on someone’s list if they were taking out Reapers who had been human. If I was in danger, what did I do? How could I defend myself?  
    “Why would anyone do this?” I could hear the panic build in my voice. “Reapers don’t die-“
    “Child, I didn’t say Reapers are being killed, I said they’re disappearing. Trapped and taken by some dark entity, it could be demon or witchcraft or any number of things.” I could almost hear the defeat in Tully’s sigh.  
    “Can Reapers, ya know, be controlled? Are they susceptible to spells and stuff?”
    “I suppose it’s not out of the question with enough power behind it. Perhaps Tessa could advise me on some witchcraft inquiries.” He turned to the brunette witch, who’d been reading a patient’s chart.  
    She looked up, her expression serious. “I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised by anything nowadays. That’s some serious black magic though, way beyond my expertise.”  
    Tully nodded. “I would have to agree. I have more questions than answers right now, unfortunately.”  
    Irritation flashed through me. “What questions can you answer?”
    He shot me a look, the one he used to give me when I first became a Reaper and let my mouth run rampant. I held my hands palm up in truce.
    “Sorry, sorry. Look, I’m a little nervous, okay? I don’t want to be to under some demon’s clutches…” I trailed off as a look of realization dawned on Tully’s face. “What?”
    “That’s just it,” he replied. “It’s not about the Reapers - if we can’t die, which I still believe is true, then it’s obvious, isn’t it?”
    I stared at him, boggled, and he pursed his lips for a moment before speaking.
    “Whoever is taking them, they’re after human souls.”
    My brow furrowed. “But taking Reapers just keeps the human souls in their bodies.”
    “Not if the demons come kill them,” Tully replied. “If their physical vessels die, souls are left wandering the Earth with no place to go.”  
    “And why would demons want that?” I asked, not wanting to hear the answer.  
    Tully’s lips pursed. “Consumption, perhaps. Souls make them more powerful when ingested.”  
    “They could also be taking them for barter,” Tessa added. “Plenty of demons deal in all sorts of trades.”  
    “Why take Made Reapers?” I asked.  
    “Because there’s not a chance in hell - I suppose literally in this case - True Reapers would give in,” Tully answered. “They are bound by their own existence. Perhaps the attacker believes Mades are more susceptible to giving up their power.”
    “But if we can’t die or be tortured, what’s the threat?” I wondered aloud.
    Tully went quiet with thought and various scenarios flung through my mind. If we couldn’t die…someone else could. My face must’ve lit up with realization because Tully looked at me and rose his eyebrow in question.
    “How old were the others? Recent?”
    Tully thought about it, nodding slowly. “Samuel and Roslyn were perhaps