The Takeover by Teyla Branton

she could see or to a location within a city or two range that she’d already visited. Or, if they were near enough, she could find people she’d connected with and shift to their location. But she’d only been able to shift herself—or with me when I channeled her ability. Now it appeared that not only could she fold space clear from the other side of the country, but she could bring others with her. It was a long-awaited break-through.
    “I couldn’t target you from so far away,” Mari explained, “but the Fortress was easy to find, and once I began shifting, DC and San Diego touched, and I could see you were here in the dining room, so I switched arrival points at the last moment and here we are.”
    “Gotta admit, it’s pretty cool,” Jace said, now hugging Chris. “She’ll probably be able to go anywhere in the world with more practice. I bet you can’t wait to try it.”
    That was exactly what I was thinking: channeling Mari’s ability. “Smart alec,” I muttered as I took my turn hugging Jace.
    “I’ve been all over the world,” Mari said. “Well, at least to locations I’ve already visited. Like Venezuela. It was Keene who helped me figure it out.” Her voice had an odd note now, which made me look at her and Keene sharply. Their hands were at their sides, but they might as well be gripping one another with the amount of sensual energy pouring off them. Looks like he’d finally told her about his Change.
    Keene’s ability was synergy, and not only could he change the reaction in atoms, but he could also intensify the abilities of others, exciting their powers, helping them reach new heights that might otherwise take years to achieve. He’d worried experimentation could mean blowing everyone into clouds of dust, but apparently he’d overcome his fear at least enough to practice with Mari.
    I hugged Keene, though not as tightly as the others. Being this close to him made me hyperaware of Ritter as he came across the room toward us, his sword already returned to his back sheath. Keene smelled faintly of his familiar spicy cologne and memories we were both better off forgetting. I was glad for him and Mari.
    “We were very responsible about experimenting,” Mari said, as if to further allay Keene’s fears.
    I laughed. “Like I believe that.” Once, as an accountant, Mari’s life had been orderly, full of planning before leaping. But that was before her Change. Now she was as driven by her impulsive, confident Unbounded genes as my brother Jace.
    “No, seriously,” she insisted, shaking her auburn head and sending the long hair rippling. “We took short distances at first and then, well, we sort of got into a couple jams—”
    “I almost blew us up,” Keene drawled.
    “Now that sounds like a lot more fun,” I said.
    Jace erupted with a laugh. “It’s been an adventure keeping Patrick alive. You missed a lot.” He paused before offering a sweeping gesture toward the table. “Um, shouldn’t you do something about them?”
    I turned to see the children still under the table, staring at us and hugging the dog. I had to admire Spencer; his staying put showed an extraordinary amount of patience.
    Chris sighed. “You can come out now.”
    “We won’t be grounded?” Spencer asked, his brow creasing.
    “Of course not!” Chris growled. “I only grounded you before because you messed up in training.”
    “You grounded me like five times,” Spencer mumbled.
    “That’s because you acted like it was a game five times.”
    “Well, it was, wasn’t it?”
    Before Chris could respond, Ritter said, “No, Spencer. Training is never a game. If this had been a real invasion, you’d be glad you’d stayed under that lead-lined table.” His gaze met mine, before he fist-bumped the new arrivals, accompanying the welcome with a slight dip of his head. On him, the greeting looked rather ancient and full of ceremony—as it had probably been intended before mortals began using their own