Page 23 of To Vanquish Darkness

He pointed at the bread in her hand. "The plants that your kind murder every day, the seeds you steal and grind to dust. The animals you keep captive to harvest their bodily fluids?"

Amalie's expression hardened. "It's not the same, and you know it."

"I can only survive on human blood."

"Then don't survive."

He let out a caustic laugh. "Trust me, I've tried that."

For a split second, Theo looked haunted, and questions exploded like sparks in Amalie's mind. How long had he been alive? Was he being honest that he’dtriedto starve himself and failed? Theo, just like any vampire, had been human once. How long had it been since he lived a regular life, and who had turned him?

Then, like a bolt of lighting, she understood. Somehow, in his sick mind, he thought he could absolve himself by sharing the past. Or . . . Amalie’s thoughts frosted over.He thought he could absolve her.She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Where human history gets it wrong is during the subsequent portion of the story," Theo said gruffly.

What was it that followed?"Defenders. The gifted power to humans by the gods."

Theo nodded and began moving forward again. "Humans were never gifted power, not in the way you understand it. The humans the gods blessed weren't powerful. They weren’t warriors. The opposite, actually."

A branch caught on Theo’s shoulder, then snapped back and stung her cheek. Amalie winced, holding out her hands to clear her path. "That isn’t logical. Humans need protection from creatures cursed by Le Sombre."

Theo had lifted her on the road like she was nothing. When he wanted to, he moved with such grace and speed, he seemed to meld with the air itself. She couldn’t see him. She couldn’t hear him.

How could humans protect themselves from power like that?

"The gift was in their blood." Theo looked back as if watching for a reaction, and Amalie worked to keep the speeding of her heart a secret. Theo cleared his throat and continued, "The only facts humans care to know about vampires is that we’re monsters. They preach about our thirst for blood, never mentioning our admirable qualities.”

Amalie laughed out loud. “If you’re going to make this a philosophical discussion on morality and ethics, I promise you, you’ll lose.”

Theo shot her a look. “We're inherently loyal. We cling to our family groups and have a strong instinct to protect those we love.”

“Congratulations. Is that before or after you slaughter innocent human beings?”

“Is it possible for you to descend from your pedestal for two seconds?”

Amalie shook her head. “I don’t believe it is.”

“Fine.”

“Fine, what?”

He whirled on her. “You asked for the truth about?—”

“Demanded. I never asked.” Amalie didn’t step back, instead meeting his confrontational stance.

Theo’s jaw worked. “The gift from the gods was twofold. Protection for humans, and?—"

Amalie waited, but Theo didn’t finish the sentence. She had no clue what he hesitated to say. Nothing coming out of Theo's mouth reconciled with the world or history she knew, and despite her desire to believe nothing he said, curiosity ate at her. "And what?"

Theo ran a hand through his hair. "They gave us something . . . we could love."

His words puddled at the surface, then slowly sank in. Amalie frowned. "You're saying the gods weren’t only generous to humans. They blessed vampires, as well. Why would they do that?"

"We were cursed. Their pity didn't discriminate."

Cursed. By Le Sombre.Solène and Le Sombre, once bound as one, now split in shadow and light.Amalie broke off a piece of cheese and slipped it in her mouth when she was sure he wasn’t looking. Solène and Le Sombre clashed like oil and water. One always seeking power over the other. Their world a testament to their battle of light and shadow. Why would Solène or any of the other gods feel pity for the Shadow or any of its creations?

"It doesn’t make sense,” Amalie murmured. Even if the gods had been compassionate, Theo said it was a gift of blood, not warriors or protectors. That would be a boon to the vampires, but to humans? Why would they have any need for it when blood ran freely through their veins?

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