An end to the battle...

It could have been minutes, hours, or hell, even seconds. But the battle was over, the young lady had exhausted herself in defense of my attacks, but impressed me none the less. She had lived as long as she had. But one the same token, she wouldn't be done now if she were a lycan. And she had said something about her not being one. But still, I could smell the blood in her veins, it contained a taint, as to what, I didn't quite know, it almost smelled of a vampire, but wasn't the cold metallic smell they have. I spun the girl around, grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against a marble column.

"If you fight me I will tighten my grip till the life leaves your body... Do you understand me?"

The blood in my veins was pulsing from the battle, and a drop of sweat had developed on my brow, she was one to be admired indeed. And with a nod I released my grip from around her throat. She rubbed her throat and the back of her head at the same time, perhaps I shouldn't have slammed her so hard. But in the heat of the moment she was lucky to be alive.

"What are you doing here, what business do you have..." I asked, a little more than annoyed.

"I am here to fight the vampires that inhabit this town." She replied as she sat in a pew.

"What is your affliction?" I asked as she looked at me with a questioned face. "Ohh yes, I can tell, there is something wrong with you. I can smell it, sense it. You fight with the bravery and strength of 3 men, and that is not natural."

She started in on the details of a family curse passed down for ages from parents to children, and how her father had trained her, honed her into a weapon to hunt vampires. The story itself seemed rather amusing, her family apparently has a blood lust which can only be quenched by feeding like a vampire or killing vampires. And I thought my curse was bad. But they live on in a mortal shell, like any normal human. But you couldn't hide the smell the curse of the undead had left upon her skin. It was a sad story, but one that didn't concerned me none the less...

"I can see your weary from your travels... You can rest here tonight, but daylight tomorrow you will leave this town. There is power here that you have never seen, and you will end up someone's dinner before nightfall tomorrow if you stay. The stench of your cursed blood has surely flooded the town, and there are plenty of vampires who would drink the blood of a mortal cursed by an ancient. I will not have your death on my hands..." I said sternly, as she returned with a wild eyed look and a short cut off rebuttal.

"But.."

"I will not hear it, you have three options here, leave, be killed in the war of the struggling vampires, or be killed by me when you get between me and what I do... I won't loose sleep any which way you choose..."

She hung her head without saying a word and laid down on the pew. Her beauty scared me more than anything. Beauty is what had gotten me into this mess in the first place. What happens when the equation doubles? I had to think about this. Perhaps the spilled blood of some underlings would clear my head...