"You're back on track now, El?" Joseph Sereno asked. Elion nodded and examined the scar left from the wound.
"I am ready to continue, Sir."
"Good, your previous assignment has been taken by one of your colleagues…"
Elion cursed so low that he was unable to hear it.
"Though I've got something new for you right here."
She walked over to his computer and looked at the screen. With read letters it said Heartkiller.
"You're sure you spelled that right, Sir?" she asked. "Is it not supposed to be Heartbreaker?"
"No, it's correct", Joseph answered. "The project is called Heartkiller, because that is what she is. A killer of hearts."
"So it's a woman?"
"A young one, I believe", Joseph said. "Witnesses and people who have survived her attacks have described her as someone who can manipulate your heart. She basically seems to bind her threat to some other person around her, possibly also a threat. And by binding I mean making them fall in love. Then she makes one of them kill themselves, by making him or her think that the partner is dead, and the other part is destroyed mentally by this, making him or her die as well."
"Clever, but mysterious", Elion said and nodded. "I will do all I can to stop her, and more."
"That's what I wanted to hear", Joseph said. "Here is a photo of her that one of her surviving victims carried with him."
Elion took the small piece of paper and studied the picture on it. Sure, the woman looked young, but something in her smile made Elion shiver. There was something extremely dangerous about this female creature, hidden behind her perfect façade.
"Any signs of her so far, Sir?" she asked Joseph. "I mean, she's been tracked, hasn't she?"
Joseph looked away.
"She has, yes, but a lot of our agents have been discovered very soon… and killed. Though one of them managed to give us some vital information. She is known to be hanging out at the Bichiere da Vino, the exclusive restaurant up in the north of this town. My advice is to start from there and look around."
Elion nodded and put the picture in her pocket.
At eight that evening she was placed at a table at the Bichiere da Vino. A table for one, she'd said, though the waiter had told her that she would have one more chair at the table, as it would not fit for the restaurant's design otherwise. 'Italians', she thought as she started to look through the menu.
While she was finishing off with the soup she'd ordered as a starter, the woman entered and sat down at an already prepared table. She smiled at the men that passed her and greeted several of the women as well, as if they were old friends. Elion continued to eat, but kept her senses alert and now and then looked up in her direction, even though her eyes often stopped on some other point. Every time, the woman was alone, not eating anything, not drinking anything, just looking around the restaurant.
Elion had just started on her main-course when the tall, blond man walked in through the door. She stopped eating at once and mentally burned her note about not seeing doctor Cullen again. It was him and he was heading towards the woman she was spying on.
He seemed relaxed as he talked to the graceful creature in front of him; she was the one tensing every now and then. Elion wondered if this was his unfinished business as well. Maybe his girlfriend, or boyfriend, had been one of her victims. She continued to watch the pair until Cullen rose and nodded, before turning. His gaze caught hers before she was able to turn away. 'Don't come here, just smile and walk out', she thought. But, of course, he had to walk over to her.
"Signorina Caspari", he said with a smile. She forced herself to smile back.
"How is your arm?" he continued.
"Back to normal", she answered. "Or almost, at least. Enough to work."
"That's good to hear", he said, before he stood still in silence. 'Alright, you got yourself into this mess', Elion thought and nodded towards the chair in front of her.
"Want to sit down?" she asked. He shot a quick glance towards the woman he'd talked to earlier, before he nodded.
"Why not?" he said and pulled out the chair.
"Can I get you anything?" she asked as he sat down.
"No, it's alright, I have already eaten", he answered and pulled off his coat.
"Well, something to drink, then?" she continued. "I feel rude to sit here and eat and drink while you do none of it."
He smiled.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. And you are not rude since you asked if you should get me something."
She shook her head at him, before continuing to eat. While she did, he studied the restaurant, as if to find something, or someone. She studied him with curiosity.
"You're waiting for someone?" she asked when the waiter took away her empty plate.
"No", Cullen answered. "I'm keeping an eye on different people."
He smiled at her.
"Things in this city are not as they were before", he continued. "I suppose you have heard of the high count of dead people found lately."
'I'm working on that', she thought bitterly.
"Yes, I have heard about it", she said and nodded. "A serial killer is on the move, am I right?"
"Correct", Cullen said and nodded.
"And you are currently keeping an eye on different people that you consider to be possible murderers or victims?"
"Both", he answered. "I do hope that the killer is caught very soon."
She nodded and shook her head at the waiter. He bowed slightly and went to get her coat from the wardrobe.
"You're not ordering a desert?" Cullen asked.
"Would be rude, honestly, and don't argue about it", Elion answered. 'Besides, I'm working', she thought as she dressed.
"Well, if you say so", Cullen said. "Mind if I walk a bit with you?"
'Get away', she wanted to shout.
"No, that should be fine."
They left the restaurant side by side. Elion thought she saw the woman smile a bit as they passed her table.
After a few blocks, Cullen turned towards her.
"You have a far more dangerous work than I expected", he said silently. She blinked.
"I have?" she said. "What about what you did in there? You talked to the murderer, and don't tell me you do not know who she is."
Cullen looked away.
"I know her pretty well", he said bitterly. "Me and my family managed to stop her raid while we were back in America. We hoped that she would quit as she saw that people knew about her, but obviously not. And this time she is more discrete. I can not just walk up to the police and tell them about her, because I have no proofs to show them."
"So that is why you wanted to give me the information?" Elion asked with a snort. "So that she will be destroyed instead."
"No, I am telling you this so that you won't have anything to do about it", Cullen answered and turned towards her once again. "It is far too dangerous and you have no idea what you are trying to fight against."
"If you are talking about her manipulating my heart and such, I am sure I can find my way out of it", Elion answered grimly. "I work alone and she does not know about me yet, unless you made her see me by walking over to me."
"She is not human", Cullen hissed. Elion hesitated and let the words sink in.
"What did you say?"
"She is not human", Cullen repeated.
"You're kidding me", Elion huffed. "What is she then, a Marsian?"
Cullen growled. The growl did not fit with the rest of his personality that she had so far seen, it was not the kind doctor's growl, it was the growl of an animal. Unwillingly, she took a step back, away from him.
"You are human, Elion", Cullen said once he calmed down again. "Do not interfere with the world that is not yours."
"Well, that world is mine, since humans have died because of her!" Elion yelled at him. "If there are two worlds in this one, one with humans and one with… other creatures, whatever they are, those worlds are combined into one. What happens in one of the worlds affects the other one just as well. They can not be separated and therefore I will interfere with this even though she turns out to be something I did not expect her to be."
He looked at her in silence, before he suddenly pulled her close and kissed her fiercely. His cold lips made her gasp in surprise.
"She is affecting you", she muttered once he pulled back.
"No, but she is trying to", he mumbled as he bent down to kiss her on the neck. "I can feel her… in the back of my head, she is trying to make me… fall for you…"
He looked at her with his golden eyes. She hadn't noticed that they were golden before, she had simply assumed that they were light brown.
"But it won't work", he whispered as he trailed a path of kisses from her ear down to her shoulder. "I love my wife… too much to ever… let her go."
"Then why are you doing this?" Elion whispered and bent back, her eyes closed as she played along.
"To make her believe that she has won", Cullen mumbled against her skin. She gasped as he played with her left ear with his tongue. It actually made him chuckle.
"You have to do it here?" she muttered as he continued.
"No, we can go to my place", he answered. "Much more… private…"
She smiled as she realised what he meant with that.