Sofia’s Silver Bullet
by Kate Hill
Series: Silver Hearts
Universe: Pandemonium
Format(s): Ebook
Heat Level: Steamy
Pairing(s): M/F
Genre/Themes: Age Gap, Bad Boy Turned Good, Dark Fantasy, Demons, Kick-Butt Heroine, Magic, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Vampires
Length: Novella
Purchase Link: Amazon / UBL
Arturo – As a mortal, I was a hit man. I’m not proud of it. Since becoming a vampire, I’ve done my best to turn my life around, but violence is in my nature. When demons take over the world, I jump into the rebellion against them. Then I cross paths with a sexy young vampire with more attitude than an alpha werewolf. Like me, she’s no stranger to betrayal, but that won’t stop me from winning her heart.
Sofia – Demons destroyed my world. Now I dedicate my life to the rebellion against them. I’m temporarily partnered with a gorgeous vampire from Boston who exasperates me, mostly because he’s impossible to resist. I’ve been betrayed before, but is it time to take a risk for love?
Note: Sofia’s Silver Bullet is a short paranormal age gap romance with a bad boy turned good hero, a kick-butt heroine, and a HEA.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Arturo
Boston, 1942
I wake dazed.
I had no idea that final hit before I changed was actually on me. The last thing I remember is setting my sights on my mark and then—bang! Only the shot wasn’t from my weapon, but from the guy who put a bullet in my head.
My head clears a little, and I look around. I’m in a black bedroom. When I say black, I mean everything in the room—the floors, the walls, the curtains, the bedcovers, you name it—is black. The place smells like citrus, probably from the various orchids displayed on a black plant stand in front of the balcony. The full moon shines through glass doors so clear that at first glance I think they’re open.
A man with straight, shoulder-length black hair streaked with gray steps through an open door toward the back of the room. Dressed in a dark suit and silver tie, he strides toward me with an air of confidence. He stares at me with fathomless gray eyes.
“Arturo,” he says.
Despite feeling disoriented, I muster my deadliest look. “Who’s asking?”
“The man who saved—no. The good doctor technically saved your life. What I did, was give you a new one, otherwise you might have remained in a coma for the rest of your mortal years.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I rise, balling my fists. Then I realize I’m completely naked. “Where are my clothes, you sick fuck?”
“Unless you control yourself, we’ll have to go about this meeting in a different way.”
I curl my lip and continue glaring, trying not to look vulnerable in my naked state. It isn’t too difficult. I easily have half a foot on this guy, who’s probably around five foot ten or eleven. My profession demands I keep in shape, or else someone might bump me off. Hell. Someone obviously tried already. “I didn’t ask for any meeting. Where am I? Who are you?”
“My name is Lucas Kishida. You’re in my home.”
I glance around, every muscle tense. My heart should be pounding, but its rhythm is slow and steady. My senses have never been so clear. Strength and energy course through me, but also hunger and thirst. I’m bone dry. Starving. But strangely, I don’t want food or water. I can’t describe exactly what I want, but I need it as much as I need air to breathe.
“You were shot,” Kishida continues. “I had hoped to arrive before the incident happened. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite make it in time to prevent you from taking a bullet in the head. A friend of mine, a talented doctor, removed the bullet. You were dying, but I exchanged blood with you and you are now one of mine.”
This can’t be real. It’s a hallucination. I’m bleeding out on the pavement and this is all a messed up fantasy in what’s left of my head. If I were still alive, I’d hunt down and burn the prick who did this, not to mention my bastard brother Bruno who probably hired him. It’s not enough that Bruno is legitimate. He can’t get past knowing that I’m our father’s firstborn son, even though I’ll never head the family. My father took me in after my mother died. He trained me to do the dirtiest work so his “real” kids wouldn’t have to take the biggest risks. Bruno hates me most of all. Jealous bastard. All this rolls through my mind.
Is this my life flashing before my eyes?
“Do you understand what I’m telling you?” Lucas’s soft but stern voice penetrates my thoughts.
He’s been talking, but I have no idea what he said after “you are now one of mine.” Hold everything. “I don’t give a rat’s ass what you just said. I’m not yours or anyone’s.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. You belonged to your father. He molded you into a weapon for his use.”
I can’t argue with that, even though I want to.
“When I say you’re one of mine, I mean I’ve given you a powerful gift. The gift of my blood. A portion of my strength. You aren’t fully human anymore, Arturo.”
“Was I ever?” I scowl. I was a fucking hit man. I’ve never killed anyone who didn’t deserve it. Not that I’m making excuses for what I’ve done, but in the grand scheme of things, the guys I burned had it coming.
Kishida studies me carefully. “You’re craving something, aren’t you?”
Hell, yeah. I need something to take the edge off this hunger. Or is it thirst?
“Solomon,” he calls, raising his voice just slightly.
A pale young man carrying a tray with a wine bottle and two glasses steps inside. He silently places the tray on a carved black trunk at the foot of the bed and then leaves quickly, closing the door behind him.
I stare at the bottle. I can use a stiff belt.
Kishida approaches, uncorks the bottle, and pours red wine into the glasses. He picks them up and offers me one, his penetrating gaze on mine.
I take the glass. “What the hell? If you wanted me dead, you’d have left me with the bullet in my head, right? I’m more of a whisky drinker, but right now I’m thirsty enough to swallow just about anything.”
A thin smile curves my host’s lips. He takes a sip from his glass.
I down mine in a gulp. As soon as the liquid hits my lips, I’m struck with a scent and taste so intoxicating that it’s almost orgasmic.
“Oh fuck.” I close my eyes and concentrate on the warm, tingling sensations flooding my veins. “What was in that wine? Did you slip me a Mickey, you perv?”
“We have a lot of work to do with you, Arturo, but your rough edges can be smoothed.”
“You think?” I snort with laughter before scowling at him. “Fuck off.”
Kishida is on me so fast that I barely see him move. Before I can take a deep breath, he has me pinned to the ground. I struggle, but can’t get away from the fucker. He’s as strong and steely as a tank. Who would think an average-size guy like him can knock the hell out of a big bastard like me?
“Listen carefully,” He says close to my ear, his voice rough with fury. “You’ve lived like an animal. That’s not entirely your fault. Your father wanted an attack dog, and you had little choice but to become one, however it’s long past time you stopped following the path set by him. You’ve been a man for a lot longer than you were a child.”
That ain’t no lie. I’ve noticed it more and more lately. A few silver hairs. A couple more lines that weren’t there a decade ago. Eyes and reflexes are still good, but there’s no avoiding old age, unless you get taken out before you get there. If it wasn’t for Kishida, that would have already happened to me.
“As a human, you were a skilled murderer, a taker of blood. It was part of your nature then, just as it is now. You’re a vampire, Arturo, so you will forever be a taker of blood. The question is, how will you use your skills in your new life? Will you continue to be a killer for profit? A monster? A creature who lives on the fringe of society, with no real family and certainly no honor? Or will you use your advantages for something worthwhile?”
I want to keep struggling, not only against Kishida’s physical strength, but against his assessment of my life. It’s true. I know it’s true.
“Your father never placed you on the same level as the children from his marriage.”
“My mother was a whore.”
Kishida pushes me onto my back. He stares at me with those icy eyes. His lips part, revealing the tips of gleaming white fangs. “So was mine. Maybe they did what they had to do, because they had no choice. You and I, we have the opportunity to decide how we want to live our lives. We have that power. My life has spanned centuries. Yours will, too, if you play your cards right, as they say. You have time to reinvent yourself. Time to learn, grow, and do something real with your strength and skill. Do you want to continue like your father and brothers, or do you want to bury them in your past and embrace a new life?”
“Why did you do this for me? And what did you mean when you said you tried to reach me before the hit? How did you even know about me?”
“I knew your mother, long ago. Before she died, she sent me a message, asking me to look after you when she passed. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive that letter until a short time ago. It was too late for me to save you from your mortal life.”
“No shit. She died thirty years ago.”
“I was unreachable during those years. By the time I found out about you, your way had already been set, but I want to offer you a chance for something better, to honor your mother’s wish.”
“Honor a whore?”
“No. To honor a woman who once helped me. It’s a pity you don’t remember her.”
I do remember her, that’s the problem. She’d been kind to me, but many of the men who paid her abused us. She hadn’t stood up for herself, let alone me. I don’t want those memories. I’ve tried like hell to erase them, but I can’t.
“You can be better than the life you had,” Lucas tells me.
Is he right?
Hell, maybe he is.
I lift a tentative finger to my mouth and prick it on a sharp fang. I gaze in fascination at the bead of blood on my fingertip before licking it away.
“Vampires are often misunderstood,” he continues, his voice soft and smooth again. “We can give back what we take, but we’re more than vampires, you and I.”
“What do you mean?”
“My mother was a vampire, but my father was a demon. My powers are different than other vampires. Some of those powers I might have passed to you when I Changed you.”
“What kind of powers?”
A whimsical expression crosses his stern features. “I have no idea. We’ll have to see what develops.”
So I’ve gone from being a hit man to a vampire-demon. I swear, I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried.
* * *
Present Day
This world has gone to shit. Demons everywhere. Crime rampant. Hell, it would have been a dream for a guy like me back in the day, or at least for a guy like I used to be.
I’ve come a long way from that aging enforcer who took a bullet in the head and was reborn to a world I’d never dreamed existed. It’s been forever since Lucas made me a vampire, or it least it seems that way. I was a killer before sprouting fangs, and that part of my nature still serves me now, especially since the demon occupation.
I’m part of the rebellion against the demon masters. One day, we’ll reclaim this world and kick their asses back to hell.
Boston is still my hometown, but at the moment, I’m in Maryland. Lucas has lived here for a while. He’s owned the Savage Sage Club in Baltimore since before the demon occupation. It’s not only a club, but a safe house for the rebellion. Lucas isn’t in Maryland right now, but he asked me to come here to pick up cargo–a rare poison created to destroy demons. I’m to deliver it to three stops—my people in Boston, the Wild Witches in New Hampshire, and members of the Moon Gazer Wolf Pack in Canada. It sounds simple, but there’s a catch. Another agent has the cargo, and I’m supposed to team up with her. I prefer to work alone, but Lucas asked me to make an exception as a personal favor to him, and my vampiric father is the only person I can never refuse.
I’m early, so I stop at one of my favorite places in Maryland—Poe’s grave site. Poe was a genius. His poem Alone could have been written for me. His work fascinates me. I know. It’s strange for a vampire and former hit man, but I’ve changed a lot since the old days. After some initial struggles, I took full advantage of the new life Lucas offered, and the education. Even back in the day I liked to read, but I didn’t have much time for formal education.
I hang around the grave for a few minutes, listening to wolves howling in the distance. Before the demon occupation, you’d never hear a wolf in a city like this.
A glance at my watch tells me that I’m just about due at the Savage Sage. I walk back to my car and speed off.
The Savage Sage stands like a misplaced piece of medieval Europe among the surrounding buildings. Like Lucas, the club reeks of old-world class.
I remember when he built the place and moved into it with his young protégé, a kid named Orien who was even sterner than Lucas and more miserable than me. I blame it on his demon half. Anyway, he was like a son to Lucas, and I know how those ties can be. I made an effort to tolerate Orien, and he did the same with me. Turns out he was the key player in preventing a demon tower from rising in Maryland.
Oh, demons still run rampant in Maryland, but they don’t have a direct portal from hell, and everyone knows how much that pisses off the demon masters. So, I gotta respect Orien for that.
Anyway, I digress, as they say. Time to go to work.
Security lets me pass through the front door of the club. They know me well, but pretend not to. It’s important that I stay incognito.
In the club, the host seats me at a table near the dance floor. I look like a typical vamp on the prowl, just out for a drink and maybe a bite.
Wolf women sitting at a nearby table give me the eye. It’s no secret that some vamps look down on our hairier cousins, but not me.
My waiter approaches. He’s a tall, slender redhead named Reese. Like most staff members, he’s part of the rebellion. Tonight, he’s a contact who will put me in touch with the agent I’m here to meet.
“Good evening, sir,” Reese says.
“How’s it going?”
“As well as usual. The lady asked me to give you this.” He hands me a slip of paper and glances toward the woman seated at the end of the bar.
How the hell did I miss her? I wouldn’t have. She must have snuck in when I turned toward the table of wolves.
She’s gorgeous and a vampire, by her arousing scent. Staring at me with smoldering amber eyes, she runs the tip of her tongue over full lips painted burgundy. A cascade of wildly curly black hair falls to her elbows. I want to bury my lips in it. I want to kiss her breathless. I want—
Keep it in your pants, Big Guy, and read the note.
That’s her voice in my head. Sexy. Powerful. So she has strong telepathic skill. That’s a relatively rare gift, even for vampires, though it’s more common among our kind than normal humans.
I glance at the note written in bold red letters. Come and join me for a drink, and we’ll talk business.
Reese clears his throat.
I glance at him, and he says, “Arturo, she’s meant for you.”
His words confirm that this beauty is going to be my temporary partner. My pulse quickens. I hadn’t expected someone like her.
“Looks like I’m changing seats, Reese.” I rise and swagger to the bar. Sure, this is business, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get some pleasure out of it.
You’re full of yourself, aren’t you?
It’s her voice again. An insult. So that’s kind of foreplay.
Grinning, I ease onto the barstool next to hers. “Hey, baby. Name’s Arturo.”
“Name’s Sofia. Call me baby again, and I’ll de-fang your ass.”
A verbal sparring match. This could be fun. “In my bloodline, our fangs aren’t located in our ass. What’s your bloodline again?”
“Maybe you’re not as dumb as you look.”
Her amber eyes leave bite marks on my soul. I can’t begin to describe how arousing she is. A woman like this comes along once in five lifetimes.
She smirks. “And you haven’t even lived five lifetimes yet, even if you have some silver in that pretty brown hair.”
“Do you do this to all the guys? Read their minds?”
“As often as possible.”
“Do you ever read something you regret when you pry into someone’s mind?”
She offers a frozen smile. “Let’s get down to business.”
“Fine.” I lean a bit closer. She doesn’t move, but her pulse quickens and her scent strengthens. I turn her on, and despite her smart mouth, she can’t hide it.
“If you’re ready to go, we’ll make the pickup,” I say in a low whisper.
“No need to go anywhere. Come dance with me.” She rises and heads for the dance floor. Her clothes—tight black pants and a black jacket—hug her firm breasts and the perfect curve of her ass. Black combat-style boots top off her sexy, no-nonsense look.
Before seeing her, I’d been a little pissed off about this partnership. I could just pick up the poison and make the drops myself. Bloodbloom, the vampire in charge of the rebellion in Maryland, thinks it’s safer with two of us to protect and deliver the poison. Lucas backed him on it, and it sort of makes sense. Sofia looks like she can take care of herself, but where I come from, a lady is still a lady, and it’s better if she has a man around for a dangerous job like this.
You do realize it’s no longer 1942, right? This lady doesn’t need any man to protect her.
“Now who’s full of herself? I’m not here to protect you, baby doll, but the cargo.”
“Baby doll? You really are still living in the last century. I told you, my name is Sofia.”
“I’ll try to remember that.”
“Good.” She presses so close to me that our mouths almost touch. I’m practically swimming in those gorgeous eyes. Her hands glide under my jacket and over my chest. My heart thumps faster. As much as I want her, we have a job to do. I nearly remind her of it when she whispers in my ear.
“Are you ready to get to work?” Her breath tickles. Stepping back, she smiles.
I want to wipe the smug look off her pretty face.
Temper, temper, Arturo. I know you’re a badass, but do you think we can get through this with a measure of civility?
“How come you know about me, but I know nothing about you?” I demand.
“Did you ask?”
“Only if you were qualified. Lucas assured me you are.”
“Then let’s go.” She turns her back on me and saunters to the bar.
“Got my bag?” she asks the bartender.
“Right here.” The tall, bald man in a tight black vest reaches down and picks up a large leather bag. His tattooed arm flexes as he offers it to Sofia who hoists the bag over her shoulder.
Turning, she trails a fingertip across my lips, grins, and heads for the door. I follow her, easily playing the part of a man under her hypnotic charms, even if I’m more than a little pissed off that she’s taking the lead. I’m used to making the decisions. Apparently, so is Sofia.
I just need to stay cool. Observe her. Learn her strengths and weaknesses.
We only have a few days together, Arturo. Maybe less. You’ll need more than that to really get to know me.
“This is gonna be fun,” I mutter.
She glances at me. “You have such high hopes.”
We leave the club like a typical couple about to hook up.
“And you like to dash hopes, don’t you, baby do—” I pause at her warning look and grin. “Sofia.”
“Well, looks like an old dog can learn new tricks.”
“Who you callin’ old? Like you said inside, I haven’t even seen five lifetimes yet.”
She laughs softly. “Where’s your ride?”
I nod toward my sleek black sports model.
“Yeah. I should have guessed.”
I open the passenger door for her. It’s old habit. She slides into the car, and I stride to the driver’s side. Once behind the wheel, I turn to her. “Where’s the cargo?”
She holds my gaze for a few seconds before unzipping her bag. She moves aside a silky black nightgown, revealing an insulated black box. Inside several vials are arranged neatly.
Raising an eyebrow, she asks, “Satisfied?”
As much as I can be. I’m not an expert on this kind of poison. Lucas said it was created by Specter Pharmeceuticals. The founders of the company are from a witch family that has specialized in perfume, cosmetics, potions, and poisons since medieval times.
“Listen, I know just as much about this stuff as you,” Sofia says. “But I trust Lucas.”
“Yeah. Me too.” I smoothly pull the car away from the curb.
Few traffic regulations remain in force since the demon occupation. Speed limits are a thing of the past, and that’s fine with me. I never paid much attention to them, anyway.
“Hey, slow the hell down. I know the rumor is we’re immortal, but you and I both know that’s BS. If the injury is bad enough, we die.”
“Thanks for the mortality lesson.”
“You don’t have to work so hard at being an asshole. It seems to come naturally for you.”
“How does a mouth that pretty spew so much bullshit?”
“I don’t know. How does a body that perfect operate with no brain?”
I laugh. Finally. She admits I turn her on. “This is just for you, Sofia.” I slow the car a little.
She casts a sidelong glance in my direction. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I settle back for the long ride to Boston.
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