The Black Swan

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

General Washington was surprisingly accepting, but then they were highly valuable. Even before this had happened, Gabe and Remember had been able to obtain information that in the normal course of events should have been impossible to learn.

The general did insist Gabe camp away from the men, which Gabe did for logic’s sake, and he also made Gabe swear—on Remember’s immortal soul, which puzzled him—to only feed from soldiers who were dying on the battlefield. Gabe had willingly sworn, because he’d learned he could ease their fear and pain—even the Redcoats—and send them on to the Promised Land to seek whatever succor their God offered.

Eventually, though, the war ended, and Gabe and Remember returned home.

“I can’t stay, Remember,” Gabe said. He felt torn apart. He’d cared for his woman well enough, but once he’d gone to war, he’d had to find another form of comfort, and that had been in his friend Remember. Things were the way they had once been, although they’d had to exercise caution—what they did could have easily cost them their lives—but it had made the dark days of war bearable. And when Gabe could only exist in the night, there was Remember, staunchly at his side.

Remember patted his shoulder. “Talk to Mary first.” As always, he seemed so certain of his future.

Gabe nodded, but he wished he could be as sure. His woman wasn’t particularly superstitious, but she wouldn’t look kindly on having a man who could only come out at night.

“Well, at least you don’t have this problem.”

Remember glanced at him. “Gabriel, don’t you realize by now that where you go, I go with you?”

“But you don’t have to.”

“Do you really think I don’t?” His smile was rueful. “Go. I’ll come by after I speak with Anne.”

“Your Anne will probably sweep you off to bed.” He hoped his jealousy wasn’t obvious. He was about to lose Remember’s comfort once again.

Remember patted Gabe’s shoulder again, another form of solace. “Go,” he urged, and they parted ways.

Gabe sighed, and headed toward the cabin Remember and the other men of Braddockville had helped him build years ago, before the war. He stepped up onto the porch and crossed it in a single stride, then raised his hand to knock on the door. This had been his home once, but after the years at war and now what he’d become—he didn’t feel it was right just walking in.

“Who in tarnation is that at the door at this hour?” It was a man’s voice. Mary had no brothers living in Braddockville, and her pa was long dead.

The door opened, and Mary stood there, wearing a nightdress, her pale hair in a long braid that curled over her shoulder. She was very obviously with child.

Her eyes widened. “Gabe?”

“Aye.”

“I…I’d heard you’d been killed.”

“Well, whoever told you was wrong.” He looked beyond her at the man who stalked toward him. “Higgins.”

Higgins had marched off to war with him and Remember and a few other men from their village, but Higgins had been wounded shortly after Gabe’s encounter with the vampyres, and he’d missed the rest of the war.

So this was what he’d been up to.

Gabe knew he was turning green-eyed about this, not because Mary had found someone else, but because Remember would have his Anne; Gabe would be left with no one.

“I…you left camp one night and never came back.”

“I came back. But you were gone.” After that night, Gabe had been unable to return to his company. The English vampyre had been right, for although General Washington found his services useful, he preferred Gabe give a very wide berth to his men.

Higgins put an arm around Mary’s thin shoulders and pulled her to his side. “You can’t have her, Granger. I’ve married her, and she’s mine now. You were never worthy of her.”

“Ma? What’s going on?” A little girl, about seven years old, peeked down from the loft. She had Mary’s blond hair, but even in the dark, Gabe could see her gray eyes with the purple streaks, so like his own. Beside her was a boy her own age and with the same coloring.

“Nothing, little Mary. Fran, take your sister and go back to bed.” Mary twisted her hands. “They’re yours, Gabriel.”

He didn’t doubt it.

“Twins?” He knew twins ran in Mary’s family. “Mary and Fran?”

“Yes, I shared my name with little Mary, and Fran—I thought you would have liked it if I named him after General Marion.”

Gabe nodded.

“Please.” Mary’s blue eyes welled up with tears. “Please leave my babies with me.”

“They’re not babies, Mary.” But he knew that even if he wanted to take them away from their mama, he couldn’t do that. How could such as he raise two young children?

He reached into his pocket. Higgins gasped and stepped in front of Mary so that he stood between Gabe and her.

“You’ll not hurt her!”

“Did you honestly think I would?” Gabe opened his hand to reveal the coins he’d been given when he’d mustered out. “You’re right, Mary. Our children will be much better off with you.” He caught her hand and opened it, ignoring her shiver.

“You’re so cold, Gabe.”

He pressed the coins into her palm. “I’ll attempt to send you more whenever I’m able.” Then he turned to Higgins and let his eyes glow red.

Higgins squeaked and backed away a step.

“But never doubt they’re my children, and if you harm them in any way, I will learn of it and return to take my revenge on you. Do not doubt it.”

“Little Mary and Fran are like my own children. I would give my life to protect her and her brother and their ma.”

“Treat them well, or you very well might.” Gabe turned and walked out of the house that had once been his home.

Somehow, he wasn’t surprised to see Remember standing on the path that led away from his woman and his children and the man who was claiming them.

Gabe looked into his friend’s somber eyes. “She’s married.”

Remember met Gabe’s gaze. “There’s nothing here for us, Gabriel.”

“You have your woman…”

“Anne? No. She’s married too.” Remember tilted his head. “I gave her a boy—George. It had to be just before we left. I’d told her if she became with child because of our lovemaking that night, she was to name a boy George or a girl Martha.”

“You’re wiser than I. Such a notion never even occurred to me. And it should have.” Gabe couldn’t help chuckling. “I gave Mary twins, a little girl and a little boy. When we leave here, we’ll leave something of us behind.” He sobered and stared up at the full moon. “Where shall we go? What shall we do?”

“It’s best to find a safe place for you to spend the day. Tomorrow I’ll search for a wagon. I’ll create a hidden compartment for you and spend the day making it able to withstand the sunlight, as I did during the War. As for what we’ll do…When we have everything in readiness, we’ll head for Mount Vernon and see if the general has any work for us. There will always be conflicts, my friend. There will always be a use for the likes of us.”

Gabe opened his mouth to protest that Remember didn’t have to throw his life away to play nursemaid to him, but as always, his friend knew what he was about to say without him saying a word.

“I’m not throwing aside my life. I’ll always be your friend, which is the most important thing to me. Now,” he said briskly, “do you need to feed?” He held out his wrist, which was crisscrossed with scars. Anyone seeing them would assume he’d attempted to end his life numerous times, but they would have been wrong.

Shielded by the dark, Gabe rested his palm against Remember’s cheek. “Thank you, my friend, but I’m all right for the time being.” He sighed. In spite of learning his woman was now wed to another man and was heavy with that man’s child, he felt content for the first time since the French vampyre had bit him.