Defying Fate Read Online Free Page A

Zane immediately opened fire on the tattooed man.
    Not a single bullet struck him.
    Magic flared. The man pointed at Zane, who slipped and cartwheeled through the air.
    Spencer didn’t get to see if he survived the landing.
    The witch pointed at him, magic flared again, and Spencer blacked out.

III
    It wasn’t a particular sound that woke up Gary Zettel, commander of the Union base in Fallon, but a sudden absence of noise.
    The Union’s functions were a twenty-four by seven operation, so no matter when you were trying to sleep, someone was stomping around in combat boots. The backup generators were always running, too, so a constant hum shook the walls.
    But all of that noise had stopped.
    Zettel woke in darkness and took the gun from his bedside. It was already loaded with silver bullets, just in case.
    Even with black-as-pitch hallways, it was less than two minutes from his bedroom door to the helicopter landing pad. “Sir,” said Devlin, the kopis on guard. He saluted as Zettel mounted the stairs.
    “What’s killed the power?” he asked. “Why aren’t the lights and generators working?”
    “We’ve lost all of the utilities, sir.”
    “We have batteries,” Zettel said, opening the helicopter door. He flipped a few switches on the console to see if the computers would come on. Nothing happened. “And the helicopter’s electronics don’t run on utility power. Mobilize all units.”
    “Sir,” Devlin said with another salute.
    He passed Allyson Whatley on the stairs as he headed down. She was already fully dressed and carrying two travel mugs, one of which she handed to Zettel. She must have been brewing tea before they lost power.
    Allyson was the only person at the base that wasn’t living on one of the three round-the-clock schedules. Ever since she had become the lead witch for the Union’s operations in North America, she was on all three schedules, all the time. She didn’t even look rumpled.
    “What could cause a total drain of power?” Zettel asked, sipping the tea.
    “Angels,” Allyson said. She was the only one who dared not to call him “sir.” It had nothing to do with being Zettel’s aspis. Allyson didn’t say “sir” to anyone anymore.
    “Is that the only option? Angels?”
    “It could also be extremely powerful magic, the likes of which would require human sacrifice. But most likely angels.”
    “It’s too early in the morning for angels,” Zettel said. “How long until we’re due to leave for HQ?”
    Allyson checked her watch and rolled her eyes. Guess that wasn’t working, either. “Last time I checked, the ETA on the transport was twelve hours.”
    Twelve hours. Whatever was screwing with the power couldn’t have waited until Zettel had already left? “Let’s pin this angel down, and make it fast. Ward the helicopter so we can get going.”
    She pulled a spool of ribbon out of her jacket and climbed into the cockpit.
    As soon as she began working, Devlin returned with another kopis on his heels. The newcomer was a huge guy, well over six feet tall, and built like a heavy lifter. “Ajax Wright, sir,” Devlin said. “He has information.”
    Zettel took in Wright’s size. “Fallon patrol?”
    “Yes, sir,” he said, snapping a salute.
    “What did you find?”
    “We found nothing. It’s what we lost that’s the problem.” Wright’s upper lip glistened with sweat. It seemed to take all of his strength to keep his chin up and eyes fixed on the helicopter. “First, communications to the base dropped. Then Zane disappeared—”
    “Who?”
    Allyson finished placing the ribbons and pulled out her smartphone, which would only function within the wards. She showed it to Zettel.
    The personnel record included a photo of a young skinhead, eyes rimmed with bruises. He had a tiny cross tattooed under his left eye. “Zane St. Vil from Louisiana,” she said. “Former pilot, one year out of basic. Low priority.”
    Zettel didn’t recognize him, but considering how