Avery arrived home from work, her back aching, her arms hurting, but satisfaction bubbling within her at what she and the crew had accomplished that day.

She’d decided to stay in Blaine, liking that it was more than a hundred miles away from Seattle, but not so far that she couldn’t still invite Victoria for visits. Avery enjoyed the small-town living and felt safe tucked in the area near the Canadian border.

She’d been hired on a construction crew and had been relieved to find out she’d be working with humans. No shifters to be found within the company, and she was treated with respect. The men teased her every now and then, but there wasn’t any sexual harassment or threats. She loved the job and hoped the owner would keep her on when the rains finally came and the framing jobs were harder to find.

Gabe had honored every promise he’d made to her, including erasing her prison record. Even though she no longer existed in the Spectral Prison system, she still didn’t feel comfortable going to the Seattle area very often. Gabe understood and had been kind enough to gather her mother’s ashes from the morgue and some of her belongings from the apartment. He’d also volunteered to float her some money until she could get back on her feet.

Avery hadn’t seen or heard from him in almost two months, and she was fine with that. They’d worked together to locate her mother’s murderer, but that didn’t mean they had become best friends. She trusted him but didn’t want him in her everyday life. She’d had enough of most paranormal entities for a lifetime.

As for McAllister, she spotted his obituary in the Seattle Times about two weeks after Gabe had taken him. The article didn’t mention how he’d died, but the announcement sang his praises as a good cop and a loss to the city of Seattle. Avery knew better. She tried to find some sadness in her heart for his death but couldn’t. He had gotten what he’d deserved, and she tried not to consider how he’d met his maker.

After stripping out of her work clothes, she stepped into a steaming shower. Even though she was primarily done with paranormals, she still practiced telekinesis, determined not to let the ability become rusty again.

Shampoo flew into her hand, and after she used it, back to the shower ledge. She did the same with the conditioner, and when she was done showering, she held out her hand, and the towel rose from the rack and floated over to her.

The process had almost become second nature, and she didn’t have to concentrate on the tasks at hand. She had absolutely no intention of ever finding herself in a position where she would need the magic, but she figured it couldn’t hurt to keep it sharp.

She draped the terrycloth robe over her shoulders and wrapped her hair up in the towel. A glass of wine was in order. She eyed her mother’s ashes tucked among the plants in the living room on her way to the kitchen. No one would notice the urn unless they were searching for it, but it gave her peace having it there.

A loud banging at the door startled her out of her relaxed state of mind. The wine sloshed in the stemware, and she went to the door and unlocked it. Avery expected it was her neighbor coming over to remind her about movie night.

Mandy was a waitress by day, a hairdresser by night. She’d been trying to get her scissors into Avery’s hair since the day she’d moved in. So far, Avery had avoided it. Mandy didn’t have any clients, so Avery thought it probably meant her skills weren’t really the best.

She’d apparently just gotten off the day job—still wore her waitress uniform, the pink shirt an exact match for her hair color.

“You still coming over?” Mandy asked.

“Yep. I’ll be there right after I get dressed.”

“Don’t forget the wine!” Mandy shouted as she headed down the corridor toward her own apartment.

Avery finished her glass of wine, set the empty stemware on the counter, and pulled on some sweats and an old Harry Potter T-shirt. She hurried to towel-dry her hair before slipping on some shoes, ready to head to Mandy’s place.

She picked up the bottle of wine and her phone. A notification on the screen caused her to stop in her tracks, her brow furrowed.

Gabe had called.

What in the world does he want?

She started to dial him back but decided against it. He represented her mother’s death and the previous chaos her life had become.

Right now, she preferred the quiet existence she’d earned.

Shoving the phone into her pocket, she put the call out of her mind. She had a Marvel movie marathon to attenda quiet evening with a friend in a place where no one would try to kill her.

It had to be better than whatever Gabe wanted … right?