"Pleeeeeeease!"
"I'm not turning you into a vampire."
"I'll be your dinner. I'll sleep with you again."
"I don't do reruns. You know that."
She sighed. "You want me to call one of my friends so you have dinner?"
"No. I'll find my own."
"Don't fire me. Please!"
He pushed into her mind and put her to sleep. She dropped back onto the couch. His black cat leapt from the ottoman onto her chest, content to curl up and sleep. Its glowing red eyes narrowed into slits then closed. If Ingrid didn't know how to hide his money in offshore accounts, she would've been gone long ago. She was a brilliant hacker and familiar enough with the underground internet forums to find him new hunting grounds and blood exchanges.
Ready to hunt down his second dinner for the night, Xander pulled off his sweater and replaced it with a t-shirt. His phone vibrated, and he checked it.
Training ops. Lost a Guardian. On my way.
The text came from the station chief of the local Guardians. As part of the uneasy truce they had with Xander, they often used him for training for the new Guardians. Most Guardians listened when their station chief, Gerry, told them the rules about not directly challenging Xander. Some didn't, and Xander usually found them before their boss could interfere.
Good. Hungry. He texted back then tucked it in his pocket.
Xander stripped off the t-shirt and his shoes then trotted to the main floor of his condo. He exited out the sliding glass doors off the formal living area that led to the private beach behind the building. The sand was soft between his toes, and he made his way to where the sand was moist but not wet.
He started his Tai Chi routine, focusing externally while the night filled his heightened senses. The fragrant ocean breeze was chilly as it brushed his skin, and his movements fell into the rhythm of the ebb and flow of waves. He closed his eyes and felt his muscles relax at the soothing routine. He waited.
The Guardian trainee who intended to attack him triggered the wards Xander set around the building first. He was moving quickly, around the building and seeking shelter among the rocks that lined one side of the moonlit beach to separate it from the property of the neighboring set of condos.
Xander continued his slow, steady movements, watching the Guardian in his mind. Gerry, the station chief, tripped his wards a moment before the stealthy Guardian crossed the threshold into the ten meter radius around Xander, where he was able to absorb thoughts and manipulate minds.