The Black Swan

by Tinnean

  “It’s his fate, Gamble Poynter.” Gabe was gratified to see him turn pale. Did you think I wouldn’t know your name? What kind of vampyres have you come into contact with?

  Poynter drew himself up to his full height, making him tower over Gabe. “If I ever see you in here again, I swear to God I’ll douse you with holy water and stake you with sacred silver. Now, get out!”

  “I’ll go, but remember this—it’s Noah’s choice whether he becomes my black swan or not. You have no say in the matter.” Gabe let his eyes glow red, pleased when Poynter took an involuntary step back. He had to be satisfied with that. There were normals in the tavern, and Gabe didn’t want to reveal his true nature.

  But he’d be back in January to honor Jane Littlebury, the black swan who’d died in France in World War II, and he’d make a point of seeing Noah then.

  * * * *

  Every time Gabe returned to Braddockville, he did visit Wittington as well. He just never got to see Noah. A little skulking revealed that whenever Gamble Poynter knew Gabe would be coming to Braddockville, he sent Noah away to visit relatives.

  Gabe would have gone after him, but dammit, the lad had more family than he could shake a stick at, and Gabe didn’t know which part of the country to travel to.

  “This is your fault, Remember Littlebury,” he told him when he went to the cemetery to honor his passing. “Your family always did breed like rabbits.”

  And your lads and lasses didn’t?

  That was just great. Now Remember chose to answer him?

  “Tell me something. Why is it almost as if the connection between us has been shut down? Mother Morwen told me it will be faint until Noah accepts me as his vampyre, but—oh, she sends her regards, by the way.”

  He thought he heard muffled laughter, but other than that, Remember had nothing to say.

  “I’m going hunting,” Gabe muttered, but then he paused. “He’s…I don’t know. Very important to me. What if he won’t accept me, Remember? What do I do then?”

  Remember continued to remain silent.

  “Fine.” Gabe sighed, hauled himself to his feet, and went looking for a deer. He found it was taking more and more blood to give him the energy he needed to survive. Was not having a black swan for so long affecting him in this manner?

  He pounced on a small, white-tailed buck, sank his fangs into the deer’s throat, and began to feed. He’d need at least two more deer. He’d bring the carcasses to Morwen.

  She’d keep one, and as for the others, she’d know who in Braddockville and the surrounding towns could use the meat.

  * * * *

  Damn.

  Damn, damn, and dammit even more.

  Gabriel stalked into the little cabin he shared with Morwen, flung aside the rag rug, threw open the trap door, and stomped down the stairs into the root cellar. There was plenty of time before sunrise, but he had too many things he needed to accomplish before he set out. He’d have to travel all the way to New England, a long, tiring journey in his current state. And it was cold there. He remembered the winters with the Continental Army. Still, his black swan would need protecting, and that was exactly what he planned to do.

  He’d slipped into the Golden Circle, unseen by anyone. It was an exhausting task, especially since he hadn’t sipped from a black swan in such a long time, but he’d managed it.

  Gamble Poynter was tending bar, and while his voice wasn’t loud enough to carry throughout the entire tavern, Gabe’s hearing was sharp when it came to Noah being mentioned.

  Where was he, anyway?

  Gabe found himself drifting closer.

  “I told the boy Harvard was the place to go if he wanted to be a lawyer. And you know what he said to me?”

  “No, Gam.” One of the men around him chuckled. “What did he say?”

  “He didn’t want to be a lawyer.”

  “Well, you know what Shakespeare said. First, hang the lawyers.” The man guffawed, turned to his friends, and gave a firm nod.

  Poynter reached over the bar and smacked the back of his head. “You’re no help.”

  The man rubbed the back of his head but grinned. “So where is your fair-haired boy?”

  “He’s gone up to Brown to get a degree in business.”

  So that was where Noah was. All right, that was where Gabe was going to be also. He knew a vampyre who lived on the Connecticut/Rhode Island border. He’d stay there until Noah was settled at the university, and then he’d find a place of his own where he could spend the days. The nights would be spent making sure his black swan stayed safe.

  “Where are you going, Master Granger?”

  Gabe paused in his packing and turned to observe the wise woman. He knew he looked unhappy, but dammit, why was Noah going so far north? The South had plenty of excellent universities. His last two black swans had attended the University of Virginia and Washington and Lee University, which was also in Virginia.

  “My black swan is traveling to Rhode Island.”

  “Ah.” Mother Morwen nodded. “To get a degree in business, I believe.”

  “You knew? Why didn’t you see fit to tell me if you knew?”

  “Don’t bare your fangs at me, Master Granger.”

  He growled but withdrew his fangs. “I beg your pardon.”

  “And so you should. I would have told you sooner, but I was afraid you’d have this reaction. And stop grinding your teeth. You’re going to cause them to shatter.”

  Gabe took a few deep breaths and finally got himself under control. “Noah is eighteen. He’s reached maturity.” Owen had been younger, but over a hundred years ago, boys became men much sooner. And the need to have his black swan in his life had become overpowering in recent days.

  “He wants to run the Golden Circle, and to accomplish that, he’ll need a degree. He’s planned to attend college for quite some time, and the university in Rhode Island is quite prestigious. His entire family—scattered though it is—is very proud of him, which is how I learned of it.”

  “And that’s why I’m packing. I’m staying up there to be near him. I’ll make sure nothing happens to him.”

  “He’s not a child you know, and he won’t appreciate being treated like one.”

  “He won’t even know I’m there.” Gabe pretended he didn’t see Morwen roll her eyes.

  “Finish your packing and away with you then.”

  He gripped her arm. “I’ll be back with him in four years.”

  “Stay safe, Master Granger. And keep your black swan safe as well.”

  “I will, Morwen. I will.”

  * * * *

  Chapter 11

  Gabe slipped into the brick colonial on a quiet street on the Connecticut side of the Connecticut/Rhode Island border. The pretty house was owned by Sebastian Hanover—”Of the Bahston Hanovers,” he liked to say with a grin. He’d been turned during the Roaring Twenties, when a flapper turned out to be more than just a girl in a short dress with fringe. Gabe had first met Hanover in Manhattan in 1930, when Gabe had taken Jane Littlebury, who’d become his black swan shortly after the First World War, to see Cole Porter’s The New Yorkers.

  It had started to snow, no cabs were to be had, and Sebastian Hanover had instructed his chauffeur to pull over to the curb and offered them a lift.

  Jane had recognized him—she enjoyed thumbing through the rotogravure—and Gabe knew immediately what the two men were, so he’d agreed.

  Hanover was a dilettante from a wealthy family, and as a result he’d never had to work a day in his life. In spite of that, he was a good man…Vampyre.

  Of course that meant instead of simply having one black swan, he had two. His neighbors thought they were his employees—Martin, the chauffeur, and Fredericka, the housekeeper. They kept up that fiction, making themselves up to look older until it reached a point where they needed to “retire.” Then they’d take off with Hanover for one final world tour, and when they returned, it would be as their own young relatives. Hanover would casually
mention to anyone nosy enough to ask that “Uncle Sebastian” was staying at the family’s island in the Caribbean.

  No one asked about the servants.

  Now Fredericka observed him calmly. “Mr. Granger. It’s good to see you again. If you’ll leave your suitcase here, I’ll bring it to your usual room.”

  “Thank you.” Gabe carefully put down his suitcase. He never knew how to behave around servants. If it came to that, he never knew how to behave in a house like this. He’d been more comfortable in a teepee or a log cabin, or the occasional hotel room. “How’s Martin?” Hanover’s chauffeur had been devastated when Gabe had had to bring Jane’s body home.

  “He’s doing well, thank you. He’s actually dating a normal.”

  “Is that safe?”

  “We’ll make sure it is.”

  “Okay.” The idea of a black swan keeping company with a normal didn’t disturb him as much as it should have. He thought briefly of Owen and his Phin.

  “Mr. Hanover is expecting you. If you’ll come this way? He’s in the living room.”

  Gabe followed her down the curving hallway.

  She opened an enormous pair of double doors and they entered the living room. Hanover was seated before a fireplace, reading the Wall Street Journal. He looked up and smiled when he heard Gabe announced. “Mr. Granger, Mr. Hanover.”

  “Granger.” He rose and crossed to him, his hand extended. “It’s good to see you.”

  “Same here, Hanover.” Gabe took his hand and shook it. “I appreciate you putting me up until I can find my own place.

  “That’s what friends are for.”

  “Shall I bring some refreshments, sir?” the housekeeper asked.

  “Granger?” Hanover cocked an eyebrow.

  “Yes, thanks. I could use something. I cut my hunting short.”

  “In that case, that new type we came across if you please, Freddie.”

  “Yes, sir.” She left the room.

  “I was wondering when you’d arrive.”

  Gabe shrugged. He’d been so distracted on the journey up that he’d almost forgotten to blur himself. Fortunately, he’d spotted the 747 about to descend into JFK before he was seen by the pilots. “I can’t believe no one saw fit to inform me my black swan was going out of state. It’s been years since I was able to catch even a glimpse of him.”

  “Things do tend to be difficult for you, don’t they? This is why I make it a point not to fall in love with my black swans.”

  “I’m not in love with Noah.” Gabe hadn’t been in love with anyone since Remember.

  Hanover waved that aside and gestured toward the loveseat. “Please have a seat.”

  “And I don’t know what his damned father thinks I’m going to do with him.” Gabe sat down and crossed his legs. “You know, I’m willing to wait as long as I have to, but lately I’ve been feeling…off.”

  Hanover looked concerned. “When was the last time you drank from a black swan?”

  “Just before Saigon fell.”

  “That long ago?” Hanover shook his head. “What about normals?”

  “I promised General Washington I would only do that in a battle situation.”

  “And?”

  Gabe sighed. “Seventeen years.”

  “There have been wars since Desert Shield.”

  “Yes, but I’d learned about Noah by that point, and I thought I could wait until he turned eighteen.”

  “Only now he’s going to college and it will be another four years before you can have him. And that’s only if he decides not to go for a graduate degree.”

  “I…yes. I suppose. Is he all right, Sebastian?”

  “He’s fine. I sent Martin to make sure he had no problems moving in, although I needn’t have. His family was with him, helping him get settled.”

  “That’s a relief. I’ve been so concerned lately”

  “You don’t have to be. It seems he knows how to take care of himself.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “He’s got six really big brothers and a big father as well. Trust me. He knows.” Hanover leaned forward, offering him a color photo. “Here. Martin took a snapshot of him.”

  His black swan. Gabe felt his heart swell. And then he got a good look at the picture. “Bloody hell! What did he do to his hair?”

  “Obviously, he must have cut it.”

  Gabe groaned. All those long, lovely locks—gone. He’d imagined twining his fingers in that beautiful blond hair while they made love…

  “I like my black swans very well, but I could never see myself falling in love with one of them.”

  “Noah is…special.”

  “He must be, if you’re reacting to a simple haircut this way.”

  “It’s more than just a simple haircut.” Gabe was tempted to drop his fangs, but that would have been rude.

  Hanover shook his head. “Granger, what am I going to do with you?”

  “You can stop treating me like a child. I’m a good deal your senior, I’ll have you know.”

  Hanover groaned, but Fredericka came in just then, carrying a tray with two crystal goblets, so he restrained himself from saying anything further, which Gabe appreciated.

  “Thank you, Freddie.”

  She smiled, put the tray down on the coffee table that was between the sofa and the loveseat, and left.

  “Here. Try this.”

  Gabe picked up the goblet engraved with a V that had a teardrop at the point. Since the crystal was clear, the crimson of its contents made it appear as if it was a drop of blood.

  “Sláinte.”

  “Salud.”

  Gabe took a sip and the taste exploded on his tongue like a starburst. “What is this?”

  “It’s a normal’s blood, my friend. I think you may have been without for far too long. You’re going to have to start making withdrawals from your local blood bank.”

  “What blood bank?”

  “You need to mix with your fellow vampyres more, Granger. This is how we get our supply.”

  “What happens when the normals need blood?”

  “Oh, I leave a substantial donation so they can purchase replacement blood.”

  “Interesting. And this is delicious.” After that first slow savor, Gabe hadn’t been able to resist guzzling the remainder down, feeling almost intoxicated. “May I ask for more?”

  “This is the last of my supply.”

  “Pity.”

  “It is. I’ve been back to the blood bank a few times, and whoever donated this blood doesn’t seem to have returned. Now, it’s almost sunrise. Why don’t you go to bed? I’ll take you out tomorrow evening to look at some rental properties Martin found near the university.”

  “Thanks very much, Hanover. You’re a good friend.”

  “That’s what friends are for, aren’t they?”

  They left their goblets on the coffee table, strolled out of the living room, and climbed the curving staircase to the second floor. Hanover’s master suite was enormous, but he actually slept in a windowless closet that was just off the bedroom.

  Gabe took the room at the far end of the hall. He didn’t need to turn on the light, just made his way to the walk-in closet that served as his sleeping quarters, stripped off his clothes, and made himself comfortable.

  Gabe was one day closer to seeing Noah again.

  But bloody hell, how could he have cut his hair?

  Before he could give it much thought, lethargy overtook Gabe, and he sank into slumber.

  * * * *

  Part 2: The Golden Circle Matchmaking Agency

  Golden Circle: Individuals who form a vampyre coven. This typically includes black swans, vampyres, and kitra—individuals who are both vampyre and donor.

  * * * *

  Chapter 1

  “Am I a black swan, Gramps?” Noah Poynter asked one Saturday evening. Mom and Pop had gone dancing and left him in Gramps’s care.

  “You are.” Gramps smiled when Noah wriggled in pleasure.<
br />
  That was what he wanted to be, more than anything in the whole wide world, and he was pretty excited because Gramps had been telling him all about it.

  “It’s gonna be super cool when I get my own vampyre to protect.”

  “Yes, it is, but Noah, you have to promise me something.”

  “Sure.” He’d never heard Gramps sound so serious.

  “Don’t ever let your father know I told you this.”

  “Why not?”

  “You’ll find out when you’re older. Just promise me.”

  “Okay, Gramps. I promise.”

  “Good boy.”

  “Tell me about our family.”

  “All right,” Gramps said, pulling Noah onto his lap and rubbing his cheek against Noah’s hair, the same blond as his own, although there was a lot of gray in it now. Noah liked it anyway. “For as long as anyone could remember, our family produced black swans, and they lived peaceably among their neighbors in England.”

  Noah listened in fascination. The story always began the same way. It was even better than once upon a time. “We were good people.”

  “Yes, we were. We still are. But then, about a hundred or so years ago—in 1897—things got…weird.”

  “Because Bram Stoker wrote that book about a vampyre.” Noah’s nod was knowledgeable. He pretended he didn’t see Gramps hiding a grin.

  “Yes. And while it made no mention of black swans, it still succeeded in scaring the living daylights out of people who had once been our friends.”

  “Dumb people.”

  “Yes, but when people become frightened, they tend to do dumb things.”

  Noah made a rude sound. Mom would have scolded him for it, but Gramps was cool about it. He just chuckled and ruffled Noah’s hair.

  “That was when Great-gramps packed up Great-gram and all their kids, right? And they took the first boat headed anywhere.”

  “That’s right, Noah. And that anywhere turned out to be to America.”

  “Why did they settle in Braddockville, Gramps?”

  “Well, you see, one of our great-grandfathers had been in that part of the country during the War of 1812.”