Grey slush covered the sidewalk and street, with splatters up onto the park's mostly undisturbed white snow. Kara curled her lip as she dodged a suspiciously yellow patch near the base of a tree. Seattle seemed similar to Princess Shannon's beloved Vancouver with the combination of mountains, ocean, and dark conifer forests, although the cool air coming off the water wasn't at all like the pleasant warm days Kara had enjoyed only a few short weeks ago when they'd stopped by to see if Shannon's mortal home would jog her memory.

Well, to be fair, that was months ago here on Midgard. And it was winter on Asgard, too, with snow falling most days. Still, Asgardian cities and towns cleared their paths quickly, unlike Anna's neighbourhood. If Kara wasn't so stubborn, she could have walked behind the others and found an easier route, but no, she'd offered to scout ahead in case the demons had located Anna's house before them. With a glance at her back trail, she spotted Mist simply walking above the partially frozen slurry whereas the filthy, icy mix seemed to part for Manannan, leaving a brief trail of dry pavement behind him that was soon swallowed back up.

A vehicle turned the corner at the next block—its headlight illuminating the predawn street as the car sped along the slushy, slick road, started to slide downhill and then with a metallic screech, smacked into a parked van. Kara shook her head. While she trusted her fellow Asgardians when they drove Midgardian vehicles, she hated riding in them. Too many people didn't seem to know what they were doing in the lethal contraptions. It was no wonder so many died, cutting their mortal lives even shorter. The burly driver pounded on his steering wheel, cursing.

Dismissing him as a threat, Kara stepped behind a row of tall everygreen hedges bordering this part of the street and continued toward Anna's home.

No one else seemed to be awake and moving about on the street. A dog barked as Kara passed a fenced yard and she flinched at the vocal announcement of her position. If any damned demons were waiting for them, the Norn-cursed bastards knew someone was out here now. She glanced back and Mist raised an eyebrow.

Yeah, yeah. Kara knew that look. She wasn't going to hear the end of how she, the huntress, was the one to give away their position. After flicking a finger at her best friend, a Valkyrie insult in their silent battle language, Kara moved past the loud canine. It was just defending its territory, as it should.

In the next block, lights were on within a few of the homes, but every window was dark on the three-story Victorian home that was their target. Signalling to Mist, Kara crept around the side. Large bushes provided cover for her, but would also hide others so she silently scaled the fence into the backyard.

The snow appeared undisturbed as she followed the fence around until she reached the separate green-sided two-car garage built in the same style as Anna's home. A glance in the window revealed some kind of SUV... actually, it seemed similar to Shannon's but Kara wasn't particularly familiar with different types of Midgardian vehicle brands or models. A couple of bicycles hung on a wall and there was just enough light to glimpse a motorcycle. No one appeared inside, nor were there any wet patches of cement on the floor that she could spot.

"Manannan is checking the front yard, but I haven't found any sign of unwelcome visitors. I popped up to the upper floors and looked in the windows. Anna isn't here yet," Mist murmured after joining Kara in peering into the garage. "Ohhh, nice. I never pegged Anna for a Harley-Davidson."

Kara frowned. "A what?"

Mist flicked her finger. "The motorcycle. Expensive but so much fun to drive."

"Let me guess—you rode one to infuriate your parents?" Kara speculated. The multi-century-running feud between Mist and her elitist parents had provided fodder for numerous stunts over the years whenever Mist made the mistake of trying to spend time with the Asgardian exiles in their Californian home. Inevitably, it went wrong as they couldn't keep their disdain quiet for Mist's choice to become a Valkyrie nor could Mist tolerate their shallow, self-serving natures for long. How her well-balanced fun-loving best friend had arisen from Arachne and Tristin's dysfunctional relationship was a true mystery.

Mist's tricoloured blue eyes gleamed and she tossed her sapphire locks as she shrugged a shoulder. "The loudest one I could find."

Kara tried not to match her friend's grin, but imagining the horrified expressions of Mist's parents made it impossible to refrain. "Of course it was. We should see if we can find a hide-a-key or something. I don't want to break into my newly discovered cousin's house. Not exactly the first impression I want to give."

Mist patted her on the shoulder. "You'll love Anna, but you might need to help her toughen up a bit. She's very new to the immortal world and is a bit on the naive side. A real sweetheart, though."

Kara led the way from the garage to the back porch, considering her friend's words. For centuries now, it had only been herself, her twin—Sjofn—and their cousin Aine, Queen of the Seelie Summer Realm. Aine was the only one mated, married to Nuada, but they hadn't yet been blessed with children. And Sjofn? Kara sighed. Sjofn inspired love in everyone around her but never seemed to find the right fit for herself and forever was getting her own heart broken, over and over. If only Kara could grant Sjofn some of her wisdom and strategy sense, she would in a heartbeat, but Sjofn's goddess powers were sex and love. If Anna was more like Kara's sister than Kara—or Aine for that matter, as she dealt with the politics between the realms on a regular basis, especially the back-stabbing Unseelie—then Anna would need all of Kara's prowess to protect her.

Still, butterflies took flight within Kara's belly. A new cousin. A new pregnant cousin. Her family was expanding in unexpected directions and Kara wasn't sure what to make of this new link to the Prince of the Aerial Kingdoms. Kara halted, her foot poised at the first step of the back porch. Both her cousins were royalty of realms Asgard had treaties with, had warred with. That could make for some very awkward family get-togethers in the future.

Mist frowned at her and Kara waved her off, stepping up onto the small covered porch. Quickly, the pair searched under the woven mat, under painted plant pots, and a brick that seemed to be used as a doorstop.

Kara gave Mist the sharp finger twist sign. "No key."

Mist replied, "Same," then hooked her finger to ask, "Move to the front porch?"

Kara nodded and they left the sheltered porch. Like the backyard, the path around the house was covered in pristine snow. Kara disguised her trail by sweeping her foot with every step while Mist walked above the snow on a cushion of air, a skill Kara envied, but unfortunately not within her goddess powers.

After reaching the front yard, they passed a set of large windows and paused by the first step to the front porch. The hair rose on Kara's neck. Keeping to the silent Valkyrie sign language, she asked, "Where is Manannan?" Something wasn't right. Although there were low bushes along the front of the house, it was the other side with the fence that had the cover. The large conifer tree near the street was barely thick enough to hide someone and the remainder of the front was snow-covered grass up to the sidewalk and street.

Mist also searched the yard with her gaze, frowning. "Unknown."

The porch behind them was empty and they slowly backed up the steps, facing the street. On the third step, Kara felt the wood give, cracking beneath her right foot as she snatched her balance to her left. A draft of air washed over them and hands tugged both women backward.