Hammers in the Shadows

Part Two: Hammers in the Night - Chapter Fifteen

A week and a half after my conversation with Brook, Anna and I were just coming from the dining hall with Tanya holding my hand. Earlier in the morning I'd received a rather worrying email and it had put a bit of a damper on my mood, which was something that my adopted daughter could pick up on. The email looked to be from the Hammers, though I had no real way of tracing it's route through the Dark Net. In it there were threats as well as an ultimatum, either we return their territory, their people, their money, and their devices... or we would pay the price in blood.

When I showed the message to my mate she growled and I could see her cat in her eyes as she fumed. We'd taken this place from a rogue member of our Pride. It had been our duty, and our responsibility to eliminate him and his followers, lest they become a greater threat to Were secrecy than they already were.

*Lord Mark, your guests have arrived at the front gate. We've already let them through, they should be at the front door in fifteen to twenty minutes sir.* I received from the senior guard at the front gates.

"Come on Anna, let's go greet Adam, Brook, and our son." I said before I crouched down and scooped Tanya into my arms before heading across the plaza towards the foyer and the entrance. Today my youngest child was wearing a knee length dress, which didn't really help since it could leave her underwear on full display if she wasn't careful

Anna laughed slightly as she paced me on my left side. "You really do want to show that old friend of yours our massive home, don't you?"

I had to laugh with her, "Of course I do love." I told her while I bounced Tanya lightly in my arms. "I want to show him what we've build here." I continued as we stepped out of the front doors and onto the small patio in front of the house.

"Well I guess I do to," Anna conceded before hugging me from the side while we waited for the large SUV from Wild Valley came up the road. The fall breeze coming up the valley was cool and both Anna and I knew that soon winter would be here. Already we'd received some short snow showers that had dusted the ground in the white stuff, though it really wasn't enough to please our cats

A few minutes later the large Suburban appeared at the edge of the clearing and drove up to the steps before it rolled to a stop and the engine was shut off. When the driver's side door opened, I stepped down from the steps and smiles seeing that it was Brook who'd been doing the driving. "Welcome to Silver Peak." I said with a smile as Adam came around the front of the vehicle, with one of his cameras hanging from his neck on it's strap.

Adam smiled, having heard my welcome and replied, "Thanks!" He looked up at the façade that extended 50ft over our heads. "This is a massive building." He said looking at the façade and I could see his eyes roaming over some of the more recently added details. Brook walked around the back and opened the rear hatch, letting Charlie, and Sampson out. At the same time, Jess and Beth climbed out of the vehicle and were followed by Adam and Brook's ravens, Apollo and Athena.

I had to chuckle at Adam as Brook went to release Tala from her seat in the middle of the second row. "Yes, it is we've introduced some details in the Façade, but Vladimir was a bit of an egotist when he built this thing. The core structure was good, it exceeded code by a fair margin, but we had to rebuild almost everything else." I smiled while letting Tanya down, though she did still cling to my side. "That necklace looks nice on you my friend." I said before I crouched down slightly, just in time to catch the hug of a very happy and enthusiastic young cub.

"Dad!" He shouted happily as he hugged me tightly.

I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent of my son as I hugged him back. "Thank you for bringing him with you Adam." I said, I could feel my cat reacting happily to the closeness of our cub. "I hope he hasn't caused too many issues at Wild Valley." I knew that sometimes children being what they were, could get themselves into trouble just by being what they were.