She takes a step back, new fear filling her eyes. “Uh-huh…?”
“Well…” How do I translate “I killed them all” into kid speech? “They were monsters living in a cave. Mako and I went to go find them. We did, and now, there are no more monsters.”
Willow thinks this over. She looks at me again, at the blood splattered all over my shirt and face—good God, I must look terrifying in her eyes—and then just nods. Plain and simple.
“Good.”
Damn, kid. I’ll make you Bratva yet.
I pull her in for another hug and kiss her cheek. “I love you, princess. I’m never going to let the monsters get you. They all have to come through me first. Okay?”
She turns and kisses my cheek. “Okay! I love you, Daddy.”
And then she’s off, playing her games or coloring or doing whatever precocious little five-year-olds
