The Change (Unbounded) by Teyla Branton Page A

computers, she can connect directly to them with a neural receiver and, through electrical impulses and eye movements, increase the rate of processing, programming, searching, or whatever by dozens of times. The rest of us see gobbledygook if we try to use a neural receiver, but her brain manages to make sense of the information.”
    That explained the metal probes and the eyepiece. “So what’s our family trait?” With my luck, my ancestors were all chefs. I hated cooking.
    “You will be learning combat.”
    I choked back a derisive laugh. I’d tried a self-defense class once and quit after ten lessons. The relief in the teacher’s expression hadn’t been in my imagination.
    “I hope you will apply yourself tonight.” Ava’s voice contained ice. “You’ll be surprised how much Ritter will teach you in a few hours. He’s an exceptionally gifted fighter.”
    From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Ritter. His face was expressionless, but I knew instinctively that he found this whole situation amusing. I doubt he’d think it funny when I finally managed to escape.
    “I guess that explains your interest in karate,” I said to Ava, as she turned the car into an area where the houses all had to be worth several million dollars. I would have gaped if my whole world had not already been turned upside down. “But I don’t understand why you waste time teaching. If you’re basically at war with this so-called Emporium, why bother with anything else? A karate class can’t change the world.”
    “It’s actually taekwondo.”
    “It’s still a waste of time.” I had the sense that I’d irritated her, though I could see no sign of it on her face. “What’s the point of teaching self-defense classes when on other days you’re saving the world—a world that doesn’t even know it’s being saved?”
    That it seemed anticlimactic was only part of the issue. As an almost immortal, a demigod, shouldn’t there be something more in her life? At the very least I’d expect prominent positions on important boards or think tanks. Or even a life of utter luxury and indolence.
    When Ava didn’t immediately respond, I glanced at Ritter, who met my gaze without blinking. A shiver of awareness tingled down my spine, but I didn’t know if it was because I knew he was ready for me to make a move, or because he was so frighteningly attractive. I wasn’t imagining his hands running over my body. I wasn’t. There was Tom to think about.
    I gave him my best cold stare and turned back to the front.
    Ava pulled up to a gated drive, rolling down the window and punching a code into a little silver box. The black wrought iron gate swung inward, but Ava didn’t move the car forward. “You really want to know why I teach, Erin? Because there comes a time when the newness wears off, and you will have to decide what to do with the rest of your very long life. Fighting the Emporium is my main purpose and always will be, but there are many days when we simply watch and wait. Stella and a few others like her do most of that, informing us when we need to act. I could concentrate on amassing wealth like Laurence, and I did that at one time—we all did—but each of us comes to a point where we have to find our life’s ambition. To use what we know. To make our lives meaningful.” Her gray eyes had become black shadows in the dimming light. “I like teaching women to defend themselves. Especially against the men in their lives, the men they should be able to trust. If I have the chance to save even one woman’s life in my spare time, I’m willing to make the effort.” Without another word, she edged the car down the long, tree-lined drive.
    Against my will, I felt the tiniest bit of admiration for this woman who claimed to be my relative.
    We rounded a bend and the house came into view. All other thoughts vanished from my mind. To say the building was huge would be an understatement. Nothing short of a mansion, it was many