The doorbell woke Xander the next morning. He spent most of the night up with the woman in his bed then fell asleep after he fed from her, content and sated, as usual. The blonde was sleeping, her naked body resting on top of the covers. He looked her over, satisfied with his latest conquest, then rose, finished with her after one night. Normal vamps didn't need to feed daily, but he did.
His phone had a text waiting. He grabbed it as he strode towards the door and saw Jessi had anticipated him.
Good morning! Rule #3!
Xander froze in the middle of his bedroom. It was five 'til eight. If she was early, she was on stealth mode. He couldn't sense her like he did the person at the door. He couldn't tell if any traps awaited him outside his bedroom door. He was hunted in his own house.
He changed directions and pulled on loose judo pants that settled low on his hips before replacing the red gem at his throat. Xander paused to sense what might be waiting for him then whipped open the door to his bedroom and strolled out.
The microwave was on, and the shirt he thought he'd ruined was draped over the back of the chair in the informal dining room. The second floor smelled of coffee, and his was waiting for him on the porch, where he took it every morning. Instead of comforting him, he was suspicious of the morning routine. He didn't see or sense her, like a ghost was prepping his coffee and ironing his shirt.
Cat sat at the top of the stairs overlooking the main floor, as if to tell him where Jessi was.
Xander went to the porch with his coffee. Another text popped up, worsening his mood.
From me, not Sofi: watch it. Jule said in the text.
His day was not starting well.
Xander's senses picked up nothing, but they wouldn't. The Others were beyond the ability of even an Original Being or a God to sense. There was only one Tracker in existence that was able to pinpoint the whereabouts of a Watcher or Other, the two sets of immortals always at each others' throats. Six months ago, they lost their ability to move between worlds, mainly because the immortal world was destroyed.
Could a Tracker pick up Jessi?
He heard raised voices from the direction of the front door. Curious, he twisted to see the door, no easy feat given it was on the floor below. But Xander's enhanced eyesight was able to see one half of the strange interaction.
He assumed Jessi was trying not to let someone in. Xander swung his feet down and strode through the apartment and down the stairs to the ground floor, intrigued by who dared try to push their way into his apartment.