Amy shook her head, while Stacy spoke up, “Daddy protects us, but he isn’t here.”
“I can protect you in his stead,” I said.
“But you don’t have a wolf, Mommy,” Amy said, making it sound matter-of-fact. I supposed it was, but it still stung to have it pointed out like that, especially when it was being used in the case against me and why I couldn’t even protect my own children.
“I can still hold my own,” I assured them. “You haven’t seen me fight. I’m scrappy. And when it comes to protecting my family, I can be ruthless.”
They nodded as I spoke, but Stacy continued to insist that she carry her bat around. Nothing I said seemed to be able to convince them that I didn’t need watching. Everything always circled around to, “Daddy’s not here.”
I started to worry about the effect Damien’s ab
