The Guardian's Mate
I choked back a scream as he violently drove me down to my knees.
"You fight for the girl," the stranger whispered, leaning over my shoulder, his breath smelling of ozone and dead leaves. "You fight for territory. How incredibly small."
With his free hand, he reached into the tactical vest at his chest. The moonlight caught the wicked, metallic gleam of a long, heavy object. It wasn't a dagger. It was a massive, solid silver stake, its surface etched with intricate, glowing runes that hummed with a low, menacing frequency.