Tolstoy Read online

  6

  Anna searched the dome of the pod. What appeared to be a line around the top of the structure was actually a seam.

  5

  “Found it,” she said.

  “Okay, I’ll pry, you push,” Leo said.

  4

  The light went red and held.

  Tolstoy thrashed inside the liquid.

  Anna pushed the dome as Leo slid a finger under the indentation by the glass, but her hands were too sweaty to grip it properly.

  3

  “Anna you can do it,” Leo said.

  She pushed again with all her might and again her hand slipped, unable to find purchase on the smooth surface.

  2

  “Push, Anna, push,” Leo roared.

  She wiped her hands on her legs and pressed down again on the dome, giving it everything she had.

  At last she heard a click.

  1

  Leo slid his finger into the indentation once again and wrenched his hand upward.

  The red light went out instantly and Anna felt warm liquid trickling down her thigh as the pod in her lap opened up.

  “Hello, little one,” Leo purred, scooping Tolstoy from the pod.

  Anna watched as her mate held the baby close and tenderly wiped the vestiges of the liquid from his little face.

  A tiny starfish hand reached out and grazed the plane of Leo’s jaw, as if he were reciprocating.

  The big man’s eyes melted.

  Anna placed the pod beside her and held out her arms.

  “Can I hold him?” she asked.

  Leo handed him to her wordlessly.

  Outside the pod, little Tolstoy seemed much smaller and more vulnerable. But he was also very alert. He blinked up at her and she pulled him close, a wave of emotion washing over her.

  Cradling his blond head in her hand, she wondered at the rightness of his little warm body at her breast.

  Leo moved to the place where they had made love just a few moments ago. He bent to retrieve her top and handed it to her.

  “We shouldn’t let him get cold,” he said.

  He helped her slip her arms into the jacket one at a time, then she held Tolstoy close as Leo touched a finger up the bottom two sliders, effectively creating a pouch which held Tolstoy snuggly against her chest.

  The baby didn’t seem to mind. He rooted his little face into her chest, catching a lock of her hair in one chubby fist.

  Anna wrapped an arm around him, supporting his little bottom, and looked up at Leo, wondering at the cocoon of love she felt between the three of them. It was almost as if she could feel the baby’s satisfaction in the same way that she sensed Leo’s emotions.

  But that would be impossible.

  A horrible screeching noise from above them shattered the spell of tranquility.

  Anna looked up to see the black swirling figure they had fought off twice lift off the surface of the glass ceiling of the biodome and slam down on it again, sliding its tendrils against the glass and making another terrible screech.

  “No,” Leo breathed.

  But it was already raising itself up to come down again, tendrils broiling and writhing as if in fury.

  “We have to move,” Anna murmured.

  “The glass is collision-proof,” Leo said, shaking his head.

  The thing crashed down again and the glass groaned.

  “Move, now,” Anna said.

  She ran, arms wrapped around the baby, not worrying about the fact that she had no clothing other than the jacket, no weapon, nothing but the fierce determination that she had to get the baby to safety.

  Anna ran through the trees and back toward the lampposts that signaled the end of the forest.

  BFF19 will be waiting in the cargo bay, she told herself. All I have to do is get there.

  And though reality threatened from all sides, she managed to stay focused on her goal, even when the time came to unseal the doors and sprint out into the open.

  The warmth of the baby at her chest and the reassuring footsteps of her mate behind her gave her the strength to choose hope over despair.

  25

  Leo

  Leo dashed after Anna, furious that she would leave the relative safety of the dome and heartsick that something could happen to her as he sprinted to keep up.

  She was a fast runner, that much was for sure. Even barefoot with the baby against her chest she practically flew down the corridor toward the cargo bay, her fiery hair streaming out behind her.

  The thundering of the enemy against the dome was gone now. Leo dared a quick glance back.

  Ribbons of shadow streamed through the cracks in the glass, regrouping with each other as they emerged. When the whole thing was through it would quickly realize they were gone. They had a minute at most.

  Change…

  The prickling under his skin urged him to shift into something fierce that could fight with the shadow. But he already knew it was nearly impossible to injure.

  And though Anna had said she accepted him as he was, he didn’t want to frighten her and the baby.

  Especially because his emotions were running high.

  Fear, fury and deep love threatened to tear him apart. He was afraid that if he gave in to the Other, he might not find his way out in time to help his new family.

  Besides they were nearly at the cargo bay, Anna had already opened the door to the service hallway. The gray tunnel and utilitarian lighting reassured him that they were headed in the right direction.

  He pounded into the service hallway after her, trying not to think about what they would do if the little robot didn’t return quickly with help.

  How long could they hole up in the cargo bay before the thing found a way inside?

  It was strange to Leo that the thing had mostly left them alone but now seemed frantic to get to them.

  In front of him, Anna opened the last door leading into the cargo bay, which had already been propped open slightly. That was promising. Maybe someone had already arrived to look for them.

  He made it in just after her and turned to close the door behind them.

  Anna screamed.

  The billowing shadow slid down the hallway toward them, like an angry tornado.

  Leo tried to slam the door shut, but it caught on a rough edge of the threshold and stopped short of clicking home. The door hadn’t been propped open at all. It had been too damaged to close.

  “Go, Anna,” he told her as he slammed his shoulder against the door.

  “No,” she moaned.

  “Please, go,” he begged. “I’ll distract it long enough for you to get Tolstoy into the bay.”

  Smoky edges of the thing curled around the top of the door. A tentacle unfurled near the bottom and wrapped around Leo’s ankle, suddenly materializing into something substantial and strong.

  Leo leaned his weight against the door, the muscles in his legs burning as he fought the change and pushed as hard as he could.

  Anna moved away and he silently thanked the stars that she and the baby might be safe.

  But she flew back toward him and straight into harm’s way.

  “Anna, no,” he groaned.

  Ignoring him completely, she crashed into the door.

  Her momentum was enough to slam it shut, hard.

  The tentacle that had held him melted into a whisper of smoke that dissipated into the air around him.

  He turned to his fearless mate.

  “Thank you,” he breathed, suddenly captivated by her flushed cheeks and parted lips.

  They had not given in to the mating thrall. But it would claim its due.

  “Nilsson?”

  The harsh voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

  “Mama,” Anna cried, relief clear in her voice.

  She dashed off toward a tiny woman who eyed him suspiciously with her one green eye. Her other eye was hidden beneath a silver eye patch.

  Mama was a funny name for this petite woman. She could hardly have been mor
e than thirty human years old.

  On the other hand, her military posture told him this was not a person to be trifled with.

  It looked like Anna was ready to hug her, but Mama offered her a hand to shake instead.

  Anna took it in both of her own. “Thank you so much for coming quickly.”

  “What’s with the entourage?” Mama asked, scowling at the baby and then fixing Leo in her green gaze once again.

  “The baby is a priceless historical treasure,” Anna said, looking a bit taken aback. “He’s the clone of the famous Russian author, Lev Tolstoy.”

  “Lev Tolstoy’s clone, eh?” Mama asked, examining the baby with more enthusiasm. “Hmm...”

  Leo fought back his instinct to grab the baby and growl at her.

  “And this is Leo,” Anna said, her voice softening.

  “What’s his deal?” Mama asked.

  “He helped me,” Anna said. “There’s something dangerous on this ship.”

  “Yeah, it’s him,” Mama said with a short, barking laugh.

  “No, it’s not him,” Anna said. “It’s some kind of shadowy thing. Neither of us has ever seen anything like it.”

  “Oh geez, kid,” Mama said, throwing an arm over Anna’s shoulder. “You don’t know, do you?”

  “Know what?” Anna asked.

  “He’s a barbarian. Do you know what that is?”

  Leo couldn’t help but notice the way Anna’s shoulders stiffened at the question.

  “He’s already explained to me that he can change his shape,” Anna said. “He isn’t shifting into that thing.”

  “Barbarians are lonely, Anna,” Mama said carefully. “How do you know he didn’t shift into that thing to scare you so that he could comfort you afterward?”

  Leo fought the urge to punch the woman.

  “Because I saw him fight it,” Anna said with clenched teeth. “Twice. Both times sacrificing his own safety to protect me.”

  “Interesting,” Mama said, nodding slowly. “No offense meant. Can we offer you a ride off this thing?” she asked Leo.

  “I’m actually in the market for a job,” he said, willing himself to be as cool and businesslike as she was.

  Mama’s eyebrow went up.

  “I don’t need protection,” she said, patting the packed holster that encircled her hips.

  “Sounds to me like you need hands on deck right now,” he said. “And I’m in a position to offer you as many hands as you want.”

  Mama laughed again. “I’ll take you, but on a trial basis. I like your moxie but if you can’t respect my authority, you’re out.”

  “Sounds fair,” Leo agreed, offering her a hand.

  She shook it without hesitation.

  “And am I to assume you’ll need shared quarters with Anna?” Mama asked.

  “H-how did you know?” Anna asked.

  “A mother always knows,” Mama said lightly.

  Anna’s eyes grew wide.

  “I’m kidding,” Mama said. “Obviously. You aren’t wearing any pants. And he’s not wearing anything at all.”

  Her eye wandered down the length of his muscular form and back up, before looking back to Anna.

  “Not to mention that he’s asking me for a trial job on a salvage ship when he could make ten times as much as a guardian. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist. Hope you know what you got yourself into.”

  “I do,” Anna said, giving Leo a smile that warmed him to his toes.

  A swarm of tiny robots fluttered down a shaft and into the bay laden with items from the ship.

  “I brought my droids to pick up what you tagged,” Mama told Anna. “Didn’t want to waste the trip.”

  The door back to the hallway began to shudder.

  “Shit,” Mama said. “Is that thing trying to get in here?”

  “Yes,” Anna said. “I think it’s time to go.”

  “Load in,” Mama said.

  A flurry of droids poured into the cargo bay.

  Leo turned to look one last time at the big ship where he’d lost his memory, but gained so much more. Then he followed his mate and the baby into their future together.

  26

  Anna

  Anna looked around the Stargazer as she scrambled aboard, amazed at how small the ship felt after the days spent exploring the spacious luxury cruiser.

  Of course, a lot of it could just be that Leo was with her. The enormous alien seemed to make everything around him look smaller.

  A familiar fluttering caught her eye.

  “Privateer Nilsson,” BFF19 crowed as she zipped over to where Anna stood. “My mission was a success.”

  “It sure was,” Anna agreed. “We’ll have to talk to Mama about getting you that promotion.”

  The little drone did a sort of aerial cartwheel in celebration, then moved closer to examine Tolstoy. The baby smiled and batted at the droid.

  “I see your cargo containment has been damaged,” BFF19 observed. “That may negatively impact the resale value.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Anna said truthfully.

  “Look alive, Nilsson,” Mama yelled, throwing her a bundle that turned out to be a pair of pants for her and some kind of long tunic for Leo. “Get those on and strap in.”

  Leo took the baby and Anna slipped on the pants, then strapped in and held out her arms for Tolstoy. Leo handed him over and strapped in beside her after slipping the tunic over his head. BFF19 folded herself up and docked in a nearby console.

  Mama took the controls and muttered something to the computer. The craft made a series of burping explosions and Anna felt the force of the thrust as they moved away from the bigger ship. Then Mama cut the engines, and suddenly they were weightless.

  Tolstoy made a small sound in her arms, and she looked down to see his curls lifting, as they had in the pod.

  Something about it made Anna tear up. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his head. She felt Leo’s warm hand on her thigh a moment later.

  Together.

  For now at least the three of them were together.

  She wondered if New Russia might allow them to work at their Embassy, caring for the child. She and Leo had retrieved little Tolstoy from certain doom. Surely they would recognize that.

  “Oh boy,” Mama said.

  Anna looked up.

  Through the large portal beside them she could see the cruise ship growing smaller. But what got her attention was the darkness around it.

  That wasn’t just a cloud.

  Something black and sinuous ensnared the ship and the other two that floated beyond it. The ships looked like moths trapped in a spider’s web.

  “What is that?” Mama asked. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

  “Is that the thing we fought?” Anna asked.

  “It sure looks like it,” Leo said.

  “We have to rescue Raina and Angel,” Anna cried.

  “My brothers were on those two ships,” Leo breathed.

  “Shit,” Mama said.

  “We can’t leave them,” Anna said.

  “Of course we won’t leave them,” Mama snapped. “But I don’t want the Stargazer caught up in that stuff either. We’d be no use to them that way. We need to make a plan.”

  Mama began typing commands into the controls and having a hissing argument with the computer.

  “I like her,” Leo said quietly to Anna. “I think this might be the start of something pretty great.”

  “Me too,” Anna smiled up at him, feeling optimistic in spite of the impossible task ahead of them.

  When he bent to kiss her, she tried to remember that they were in a space craft, planning an important rescue mission, and that she had a famous clone baby in her arms.

  But the moment his lips touched hers, she saw fresh fireworks behind her eyelids and her heart surged with a love so profound that it almost hurt.

  He cupped her cheek in his hand, and she felt the intensity of his own love surging back to her, encir
cling the three of them, bringing them home.

  Thanks for reading Tolstoy!

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  1

  Raina

  Raina stepped into the main hall of the ship and looked out over the trees. She had expected to be amazed, but the sight in front of her was beyond anything she had ever imagined.

  The biodome was huge, the size of a football stadium. Inside, maples and conifers reached to the heavens. Literally. Though the UV sun over the forest was almost blinding, Raina knew that above it, the velvet backdrop of space would be visible through a portal in the evenings. She had seen the outside of it reflecting the starlight on her approach.

  “Report, please,” she said.

  “Toxicity, zero percent,” a male voice answered. The husky, vaguely British voice was at odds with its owner, a tiny origami drone the size of Raina’s palm, currently hovering above her right shoulder.

  “Oxygen content twenty-two percent,” he continued. “The air is breathable.”

  He floated a few feet away as Raina pulled off her pack and set it down.

  She removed her helmet and took a tentative breath.

  The air was indeed breathable, and not too stale in spite of the ship having been in space for who knew how many decades. She suspected that was mostly thanks to the forest in front of her.

  The temperature in the biodome was comfortable and the air smelled like rain. The weather programming must have just played a storm.

  She stripped off the rest of the space suit and pressed the button to deflate it down. When it was at its smallest, she placed it in the pocket inside the helmet and clipped it to her pack.

  She felt light as air without the helmet and suit, it was odd how much taking it off affected her.