She stalked up and down on her big wrap-around porch, her mind full of rushing thoughts – of the men in her house, the hunters, and, oddly enough, her mother. She headed back into the kitchen and picked up the phone again. “Miko-chan?” Yui said softly when she picked up. “Is everything all right?” The worry in her mother’s voice made Miko sick with guilt. She never called unless something was wrong, and immediately she felt like a jerk. It wasn’t her mother’s fault that Miko had issues reconciling her fox half. It wasn’t her mother’s fault that hunters had moved into the area. It wasn’t her mother’s fault that Miko hadn’t known about Hayami. Her mother had tried, and Miko had interrupted her, accusing her of matchmaking. She sighed. “Hello, Mother.” Yui’s voice was mild, tentative. “I worry about you, Miko-chan. Are you well?” “I’m fine,” she said softly, in English.
