The Black Swan Read online

  Jess looked across at him, bit his lip, and glanced at their other brothers.

  Okay, here it comes. Noah braced himself for the ribbing to begin.

  Instead, after Pop said grace, Jess began talking about his experiences at the local community college. “Good times. Of course, I didn’t have the grades to make it into an Ivy League school like some people I could name.”

  Donovan threw a piece of bread at him from across the table. “That’s because you were too busy trying to get into Ariel’s pants.”

  “Donovan,” Pop said, a warning in his tone.

  “Sorry, Ma. But it’s the truth,” he muttered under his breath. Noah heard him because he was right beside him.

  “You’re just jealous because you wanted Ariel yourself,” Jess sniped.

  “Boys.”

  Jess and Donovan became busy slicing their pork chops.

  “We’re very proud of Noah.” Mom really had been proud, although Noah had found her crying once, because he’d be so far away.

  His brothers grinned at him. “Yeah, we are. You did good, kiddo.”

  “Thank you. So, Jess. Do you think Frank might let you drive for a stretch on the way up to Rhode Island?”

  The conversation turned to how Jess intended to twist their older brother’s arm in order to get behind the wheel of the pickup Frank loved more than any of the girls he dated.

  No mention was made of Noah’s drastic haircut. He glanced at Mom.

  She smiled at him and passed the platter holding the pork chops.

  “Thanks, Ma.” He wasn’t thanking her just for offering him the chops.

  * * * *

  By midmorning the next day, everything was in readiness. The SUV was crammed to the roof with bedding, towels, and clothing, including winter clothes he’d had to buy because he hadn’t had any use for them living in Wittington.

  Noah’s laptop hung in its bag from his shoulder, but once he was in Allyn’s car, he’d place it on the floor at his feet. On the backseat of the Focus were cardboard boxes holding Noah’s printer, paper and ink, cables, cords, chargers, flash drives, and a metric ton of stationery supplies, thanks to Mom, who never met a notebook or pen she could say no too. In addition, there were bags filled with munchies, as well as peanut butter, crackers, and microwavable mac and cheese.

  His brothers had loaded the flatbed of the pickup with the bulky items—the microwave and mini fridge—and everything that wouldn’t fit in the SUV or Allyn’s Focus. Frank and Jess covered the cargo area with a blue tarp in case they ran into inclement weather, while Donovan just stood around looking pretty.

  Mom gave everything a final once over, then nodded in satisfaction, and they hit the road. The trip would take a bit more than eleven hours, and Mom had decided they’d drive until dinner time. After they’d eaten, they’d find a motel for the night, then continue on the next day once they’d had breakfast.

  * * * *

  It was early afternoon of the following day when they pulled up to the curb in front of the dormitory where Noah had been assigned.

  Noah tugged out his earbuds. Allyn had spent the entire trip talking about his fiancée, and he hadn’t noticed when Noah had put them in.

  Mom frowned when she saw girls obviously moving in.

  Noah cleared his throat. “I told you it was a coed dorm, Ma.”

  “Just what the boy needs, Gaye.” Pop slapped Noah’s shoulder, making him stagger. “Don’t limit your options, son.”

  Noah wanted to groan, but knew it was pretty much useless. He never argued with his father; there was no point.

  “Come on,” Allyn said. “Let’s get this done.”

  “Ok—” Noah rubbed the back of his neck and looked around.

  “You okay, kiddo?”

  “Yeah…. Yeah, I’m fine. It just felt for a minute like someone was watching me.”

  Allyn rubbed Noah’s scalp. “Why wouldn’t they, when you’ve got such a gorgeous reflection bouncing off your head?”

  Noah gave him a shove. “Help Frank unload the microwave. I’ll go up and find my room.”

  * * * *

  Noah missed his family, but he quickly fell into the routine of classes, studying, and sleeping. He didn’t meet any guys who drew his attention, although Dominick, his roommate was cute. Just not his type.

  The biggest excitement came a couple of weeks later.

  He was doing the assignment for Financial Accounting when his roommate burst into the room. “There’s been a serious pileup on the interstate. They’re calling for blood donations.”

  Although Noah had first donated blood when he turned seventeen, he’d known for a long time that he was O-, a universal donor. He grabbed his wallet and keys. “Let’s go.”

  * * * *

  Chapter 4

  Noah thought he’d be returning home for every summer break. He should have known better. The first one, at the end of his freshman year, he’d been sent out to Phoenix again to visit with Uncle Clay, and it had been so hot, he’d nearly melted.

  The summer after his sophomore year he flew out to Hawaii to see Travis and his vampyre. She’d been kind of standoffish, while Trav, an EMT who worked the graveyard shift, tried to hook him up with the sisters of the men he worked with.

  Noah cut his vacation short and told Pop if he wasn’t allowed to come home for the next summer break, he was not coming home again, period.

  So the summer after Noah’s junior year, he did get to come home—and his mom dragged him off to a yoga class with her.

  “You know my joints were getting so stiff,” she told him at dinner the first night he’d been back.

  “Uh…no, I didn’t know that, Ma.”

  “Well, they were. But I’m so much better now. I can’t tell you how pleased I am with the results. You have to come with me.”

  “I thought I’d spend some time with Zander.”

  “He’s at the police academy,” Pop said.

  “Yeah? That’s cool.”

  “I’m surprised they accepted him. He’s nothing but trash.”

  “Pop, Zander is a good guy.”

  Pop grunted; he’d never liked Zander Kowalski, maybe because Zander was gay.

  “So that’s settled,” Mom said cheerily. “You’ll join me.”

  “Okay, Ma.” Noah sighed.

  He was the only male in the class, but he enjoyed it, until he noticed the number of girls who flocked around him at the end of each class.

  “Ma.” He tapped his foot. His mother had set him up.

  “Well…” She didn’t deny it. “It wouldn’t hurt if you asked one of these lovely young ladies on a date.”

  “I’m gay, Ma.” He said it loud enough that the “lovely young ladies” heard him.

  To his astonishment, that didn’t deter them. They made him their gay best friend, and he wound up joining them for dinner, movies, or dancing on Friday evenings when Pop didn’t need him at the Golden Circle.

  The movements loosened his joints as well, and he decided to continue practicing when he returned to campus at the start of the fall semester.

  It was a beautiful Indian summer day—too beautiful to spend it indoors, studying. He went to the Quiet Green, unrolled his yoga mat, and began warming up.

  He had just positioned himself in the big toe pose when he felt someone watching him. He concentrated on his breathing, and when he straightened, he looked around.

  A girl leaned casually against a tree. She had the most beautiful strawberry blonde hair and striking blue eyes, and she smiled when she saw him watching her in turn. She pushed off from the tree and walked toward him.

  “Hi. I couldn’t help admiring your form.”

  “Thank you.”

  “My name is Marti Matheson. I’m taking Visual Arts, and I’d like to ask a favor of you.”

  “Okay,” he said cautiously.

  “Would you be interested in modeling for me?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I said—”
/>   “I know what you said. What I don’t understand is why you want me to model.”

  “As I said, you have good form. I’d like to capture that on canvas.” She held out the sketchbook in her arms.

  Noah took it and flipped open the cover. His jaw dropped. There he was, doing the extended puppy pose. The lines and angles took his breath away, and he looked up to meet her gaze. “Damn, you’re good.”

  “Thank you.” She grinned at him. “So what do you say? You’d get paid, of course.”

  “Um…do I have to be naked?”

  “Perhaps, if you felt comfortable enough, but that isn’t really necessary. What I’d like to do is capture the essence of your musculature.”

  He turned another page. This drawing was of a cat with plush fur, blue eyes, and a short tail. It was caught in the act of leaping down from the low-hanging branch of an oak tree.

  “My mom raises American Bobtails. That’s Valentine Michael Smith.”

  “Okay.” Strange name for a cat, not that he’d say anything.

  The picture on the next page made him smile. It was of a yellow Lab leaning against a boy of about seven or eight, whose facial features made it clear he and this girl were related.

  “That’s my little brother and Def.”

  “Def?”

  “Dog Four.”

  “Ah.”

  Noah turned another page, and Marti peeked over his shoulder. “I did this one from memory. That’s my brother and his husband at their wedding. It wasn’t legal in 2003, so they did it again the next year when it was.”

  The two men, were dressed in tuxedoes. Their arms were elegantly placed, and they were dancing a tango, if the positions were anything to go by.

  Noah raised his gaze to meet Marti’s once again. “I’d love to model for you.”

  * * * *

  In addition to paying Noah, Marti gave him the sketch of him in the yoga pose. He had it matted and framed and gave it to Mom for Christmas. She’d cried, and Pop wanted to know if he was dating the girl who’d drawn it.

  “No, Pop.”

  “Well, why not?”

  “Pop, I’m gay.”

  Pop growled, but instead of hassling him over it, he’d handed Noah a long, slim present that turned out to be a Browning BAR .30-06.

  “Thanks, Pop. She’s a beauty. We’ll go hunting soon, yeah?”

  Pop had ruffled his hair, which had long since grown out. “Yeah.”

  * * * *

  Marti had also given Noah a copy of the nude. It was tasteful, with none of his boy bits showing. In it, he reclined on a blanket. He’d actually been on the floor of the studio Marti had permission to use, but she’d painted the background to make it appear as if he were at the beach—beautiful blue sky with fluffy clouds, white sand, and gentle waves rolling up to the shore. He had one hand behind his head while the other rested on his groin. His right leg was bent at the knee, and all that could really be seen was the curve of a buttock.

  He’d been embarrassed to look at it after she’d finished it, but she’d teased him into taking a peek, and he’d been pleased at how good she’d made him look.

  He planned to keep it in the closet in his room until he found someone to give it to.

  * * * *

  The last months of his senior year flew by. Noah went to classes and dated men. Occasionally, he felt as if he were being watched, but he decided it was his imagination.

  He graduated with honors, and the entire family—including aunts, uncles, and cousins he hadn’t seen in ages—came up for the ceremony.

  That summer he stayed in Rhode Island. He’d decided along the way to get his master’s as well, encouraged by his professors, and when he finished that, he knew he would go home.

  And once he was back, he didn’t intend to leave again.

  * * * *

  Chapter 5

  By the time Noah got his master’s degree in 2015, Mom and Pop were ready to retire to Florida, and his other brothers had their own careers and families; they’d flat out told Pop they wanted no part of the tavern.

  “Let me run the Golden Circle, Pop. I’ve got my degree, and you’ve showed me how to do it.”

  “I don’t know, Noah.”

  Noah knew the reason behind Pop’s reluctance, so he played what he hoped was his winning hand. “Gabriel Granger hasn’t been around in ages. You know he’s been hanging out at the Haven over in Scottsville.”

  Pop scowled at him. “How do you know that? Are you still infatuated with the vampyre?”

  Jesus, how had Pop figured that out? Noah had been certain he’d concealed his feelings well.

  As hard as it was, he gave his father a relaxed smile. “Come on, Pop. Wittington, Braddockville, and Scottsville are like the Bermuda triangle of vampyres down here. Where else would he go? And Wittington isn’t a huge town. How could I fail to hear what’s going on?”

  Pop’s scowl deepened, but as Noah had hoped, he couldn’t come up with any other logical objections that wouldn’t result in the sale of the Golden Circle, which he really didn’t want to do.

  “All right, but I don’t want that vampyre in my tavern.”

  “Okay, Pop,” he agreed easily. But Pop would be in Florida, and if out of all the gin joints in Wittington, Gabriel walked into his, Noah had no intention of turning him away.

  * * * *

  It had been a slow night—well, Mondays in September.

  Noah waved as his last customer walked out of the Golden Circle, and he locked the door. He went around to the beer signs in the windows, snapping off each one, and then he unplugged the jukebox and the air hockey game, and the televisions he’d brought in for the various sports games. Pop had only had one, but there were a lot of sports bars in town, and Noah wanted to keep up with the competition.

  A knock on the door drew his attention.

  He opened the door. “I’m sorry, I’m—” His mouth went dry as he saw who was standing there. It had been eight years since the last time Noah had seen Gabriel Granger, but the vampyre was as gorgeous as ever. And Noah’s dick agreed.

  “I heard you’d taken over running the tavern,” Gabriel said.

  “Yeah—yes. Since last May.”

  “I missed you in July.” The corners of his mouth tugged down.

  “My brother’s wife had a baby, and she needed some help.” Jess had convinced Ariel to marry him. It had been a nice wedding, and Jess had spoken of all their plans, which hadn’t included a baby, at least not just yet. As it turned out, they’d gotten pregnant on their honeymoon.

  “You’re an uncle? Congratulations.”

  “Thanks, she’s my first niece!”

  “Oh?”

  “There have usually been boys on our side of the family. Although there’s my Aunt Marjorie, and an Eloise back in the day.”

  “Eloise, you say?”

  “Yeah. She was a great aunt, although I don’t remember how many greats.” Noah smiled and shrugged. He was rambling.

  “I see.” Gabriel stared into his eyes and for a second Noah felt dizzy. “Shouldn’t your mother have gone? Or perhaps one of your sisters-in-law?”

  “Are you insinuating taking care of a baby is strictly women’s work?”

  “It was during my time.” He held up his hand and gave a wry smile. “No need to tell me this is the twenty-first century. Forgive me.”

  “Forgiven.” Noah leaned against the door, feeling breathless. “Anyway, Pop said I was the only one who had the spare time.” Even though he’d been in the middle of a purchase from a winery in Georgia that had some of the best champagne he’d ever tasted.

  Gabriel cleared his throat and looked past Noah into the tavern, only then seeming to notice it was empty. “You’re closing. I’m sorry. I’ll—”

  “No, please stay. I didn’t have anywhere to go.” He stepped aside, and when Gabriel still hesitated, he said, “I bid you welcome. Enter freely.”

  Gabriel gave a gracious nod and stepped into the Golden Circle.


  “I must say I’m surprised you’re still here,” Gabriel murmured. “No girlfriend to spend the night with?”

  Noah grinned. “No. No boyfriend either.” He sobered when a quick glance at the calendar behind the bar showed the date. Two of Gabriel’s black swans had died in the month of September. Gabriel must have come from Braddockville Cemetery after visiting the grave of the black swan he’d lost during the Korean War. Noah had made it a point to learn as much as possible about Gabriel Granger and his black swans—not that it was all that much. Most of what he discovered had been through eavesdropping, and people had shut up as soon as they realized he was listening. “What’s your pleasure?”

  “A black swan who isn’t dead.”

  That hit Noah like a smack in the face. More than anything he wanted to be that black swan, but according to Pop, he couldn’t even offer Gabriel a drink direct from the source.

  Gabriel must have seen his unhappy expression. He shook his head. “Forget I said that.”

  “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” Noah touched his arm. The flesh beneath his fingertips was chill, but it felt good. “Sit down. I’ll get you something to drink.”

  Noah hurried to the backroom where he kept blood in the fridge. He also had a microwave he used to heat the blood to body temperature—he liked to be prepared on the off chance a vampyre stopped by. His stock of blood consisted of A, B, and their many varieties but mostly O because the older vampyres had no idea what their blood type was.

  And now a vampyre had come into his tavern, and not just any vampyre, but Gabriel Granger, the vampyre he’d had wet dreams about since he was fifteen.

  Maybe that was why he didn’t have relationships, just occasional one night stands. And isn’t that stupid, he mocked himself. You can’t have Gabriel. Find yourself someone else.

  He took out a bag of type O blood, poured it into a goblet, and put the goblet in the microwave. It only took thirty seconds for the blood to warm enough. The microwave dinged and Noah opened the door and reached for it.

  He nearly dropped the goblet when he turned and saw Gabriel standing in the doorway, watching him. His eyes, fastened on Noah’s throat, glowed a hungry red, and Noah wanted to whimper with the desire to have Gabriel lick his throat and then slide his fangs into Noah’s jugular.