The Takeover by Teyla Branton Page B

the courtyard near the gardens located in the middle of our century-plus old mansion and the new walls we’d built so the children would have a protected place to play. It was those walls that had given our safe house the nickname of Fortress, resembling as it did the old forts from frontier days. Their nanny, Becka, wasn’t with the kids, judging by the life form in her room on the third floor. On the main floor, our cook, Nina, was probably finishing up a dinner that I’d only eat in order to spend time with the kids.
    I found the life forces that were Shadrach and Oliver together on a balcony on the second floor overlooking the courtyard. It stood to reason that Shadrach would be anxious to have time outside, but I was glad our upgraded security system meant he was under Stella’s constant surveillance, and even Oliver’s company would at least be some deterrent to any possible troublemaking.
    Beyond the house and courtyard, I could sense nothing. The electronic grid running through the house and surrounding walls—even extending in a fine, almost invisible net high above the courtyard—prevented sensing Unbounded from seeing in or out. It also eliminated the possibility of shifters appearing without warning. We believed we had the only shifter, but the Emporium’s continuous breeding program might have resulted in new Unbounded with abilities we weren’t aware of.
    The estate was sprawling, with large expanses of grass in the front and more extending far beyond the walls in the back. Weapons nestled in trees, under the ground, and on top of the mansion and the walls were at constant readiness. The Emporium had attacked us at a previous stronghold, and this time we were prepared.
    I drew my mind back to the infirmary to see that Ritter and Ava had accompanied me into the isolation area. The three Emporium agents eyed us warily, but Dimitri smiled a greeting. Weariness showed in his face, and I knew he’d expended a good amount of healing energy on at least one of the agents—probably Bedřich. Nice of Dimitri, considering Bedřich had tried to kill me.
    “Hello,” Ava said. “I’m Ava O’Hare, and I’m pleased to meet you.”
    “You’re the leader here?” Fenton asked.
    She inclined her head in agreement. “I apologize for the rush, but we need to ask you more questions about Senator David Ropte.”
    Fenton gave a snort. “We already told the Asian woman. We’ve heard the name, but we don’t know anything more.” The big man spoke confidently, but with no real conviction, as if he didn’t believe what he was saying.
    “If you’re telling the truth, you won’t mind dropping your shields and letting me see,” I said. Fenton and Eden stared at me as if I had asked them to give me the number of their bank accounts and custody of their firstborn. Only Bedřich didn’t meet my gaze, staring up at the ceiling, his body tense on the bed and his hands curled into fists below his restraints.
    “I can do it without your consent,” I added helpfully. I had recovered enough to force my way in if I had to.
    When they didn’t answer, Ava said, “She’s the one who killed Delia Vesey.”
    The tension in the room tripled with that sentence. It sounded worse than it was. The lives of all my friends plus eight million people had hung in the balance. Not to mention that Delia had tried to transfer her consciousness and all her memories to my body. She’d planned to become me, and would have used my body to create potential hosts, essentially giving her true immortality. She’d deserved much more than death.
    “Fine,” Eden muttered. The resistance over her mind vanished, and the sand stream of her thoughts came clear. She didn’t know it, but Ava was also in her mind.
    “What do you know about Senator Ropte?” Ava asked in the same casual tone she’d been using all along.
    Eden shrugged. “Nothing. I remember a briefing on our agents that infiltrated the senate. But beyond that . . .