The beast snorted, then returned his nose to Kagome's hand, eyes fluttering shut. It was odd to see him so relaxed, considering his size. She stayed that way until his breathing evened out, but even then, she was hard-pressed to pull away.

"What do you think he eats?" she wondered aloud as the three of them sat at the table, steam rising from bowls of stew.

"Virgins." Kagome choked on her food as their mother shot Kagura a scathing look. "What? It might be true."

"Youkai do not eat humans," Emiko reminded her. "They're like any animal—they only attack when threatened."

"Until he decides he'd rather live in comfort all winter and thinks it's too crowded with us here." Her eyes hadn't left the beast since he'd arrived, her agitation evident in the way she fiddled with her spoon.

Kagome reached over and grabbed her sister's hand, Kagura looking at their interlocked digits before leaning back with a sigh. "Something's off, okay? Regardless of his type being one we've never seen before, I don't trust him."

The worry about Kagome's safety went unspoken, but Kagome smiled all the same. "I love you too."

Kagura huffed and returned to her bowl but didn't let go of Kagome's hand, ignoring the soft smile from their mother as they finished their meal.