Part Four: End - c

“Don’t worry,” Darla replied. “Your baby is fine. The fetal heartbeat is still as strong as ever.”

Kendra felt like there were two raging tsunami’s battling inside. There was one tsunami made up of cold, icy fear. Then a new one bashing into the first. This one was a dizzying sense of relief. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply in and out. To center herself.

“Thank God,” she said, letting out a long sigh.

“What the hell was that?” a new voice suddenly piped up.

Kendra’s eyes darted slightly back to the right and behind those clustered around her. Staring back was Conor. His face was a mask of absolute fury. His bright green eyes stared at her with an intensity that instantly made her uncomfortable. She leaned her head back on her pillow and closed her eyes for a bit.

“I think I need to...to...rest,” she murmured. “For a bit.”

“Of course,” Calvin said. He looked at the others present. “You heard the boss. Everybody out. Let’s go.”

His voice had a boisterous, fun quality to it that instantly made her like him as a person even more than she already did.

“Thanks, Cal,” she said with a small, exhausted smile.

“Anytime,” he replied, smiling to himself.

As her three betas left, they all cast long, forlorn looks at their fallen teammate. Darla followed behind them a few seconds later, making sure to see if Kendra needed anything before she left - which she didn’t.

As soon as the room was empty, she opened her eyes fully again and stared at Conor.

“You don’t have to give me that look,” she told him, making sure to keep her voice down so no one would hear her talking outside the room. She would have just spoken directly to him, mind to mind, but she really did have a headache and she had a feeling that would only make it worse.

“Why not?” he shot back, still angry. “Unless you’re telling me you never plan to do something stupid like that again.”

“It wasn’t stupid,” she said, miffed. “I wanted to be sure he wasn’t there.”

“Clearly that wasn’t a good idea,” he said.

“Stop. Okay?” she replied. “I get that you were worried and I’m sorry I scared you but let’s not pretend you knew what would happen if I connected my mind to someone...not...t-there.”

Her voice hitched on those last words as the realization that yet another one of her wolves had paid the ultimate price for her family’s war. Pope wasn’t coming back. Neither were any of the others. Tears started brimming in her eyes but she didn’t bother trying to wipe them away. Instead, she let them fall.

Conor’s anger seemed to melt away as soon as he saw her crying. He went to her and sat on the bed so he could get as close to her as possible. He loved her more than anything and couldn't stand to see her sad.

“I’m so sorry,” he replied. Although, admittedly, he was never the biggest fan of the betas in general and made his hatred for Pope clearly known. Despite that, he couldn’t help but admit the man had been brave. He had taken on Drake not once but twice and although the second time ended in his death, it had given his other beta friends enough time to escape.

“This shouldn’t have happened,” Kendra spat. “It’s my fault.”

“You can’t keep blaming yourself for the actions of others,” Conor told her as gently as he could. “They made their choice when they decided to attack Drake on their own.”

“That’s just it,” Kendra replied. “They should never have even gotten involved. It should’ve been just me. Me and him. It should be our fight alone but everyone else keeps getting dragged into it. He’s slaughtered hundreds of people, turning them all into those grotesque, undead things. And why? To get back at me? To hurt me? To kill my entire pack? If I hadn’t let my grief consume me…”

“If I did this. If I did that. If I went here instead of there.”

Conor’s voice was abrupt and firm, making her stop talking. She looked up at him, not sure whether to be angry or not.

“Those questions will torture you if you let them,” he said. “You will never know what could have been. All you can know is what is going on now. This is the reality, Kendra. As much as you hate it. As much as we all hate it. So deal with it. You want to take Drake out, then find a way to do it. You want to end Bendis, then find a way. I’m here for you. So is everybody else. We will help you because we love and respect you. Don’t trivialize the sacrifices of those that have died by saying it should have been you.”

He stared at her but his anger had waned, a deep love replacing it. Seeing that emotion burning in his eyes always made her heart flutter a bit.

“You do them a disservice by saying things like that. Because trust me when I say this, if I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. I know we didn’t have long together but I got to know you and be with you.”

He paused, the emotions inside him making it hard to go on. Tears actually started spilling from his eyes although he couldn’t feel them there. Kendra saw them though.

“I got to love you and know what it felt like for you to love me back. I would die a million deaths if it meant I would have just that little bit of time with you,” he continued on.

Kendra wiped tears from her eyes and smiled at him. They didn’t say anything for a long time but it didn’t feel awkward. It felt…right.

“How are you even crying?” she asked, suddenly laughing.

Conor’s eyes widened a bit in shock, then he reached up with a hand to touch just below his eyes. He pulled them back and saw them glistening with wetness. He looked at her again, still perplexed, and then started laughing too, unable to help it. He shrugged his shoulders.

“I have no idea.”

The door to her room suddenly burst open and Jenna ran in with Felix in tow. He looked tired and somewhat sweaty. He was also breathing hard, taking several big gulps of air in loud puffs.

“What the hell happened?” Jenna asked. She came around to the side of Kendra’s bed and sat down in a chair there. “Are you okay? Darla just told me what happened and I made Felix teleport here as quick as possible. Is the baby okay?”

“Yes,” Kendra said with a smile. “He’s fine.”

She looked over at Pope, an empty shell without the pilot.

“Darla said he was brain dead. I went in and tried to see if there was any part of him left inside but instead, all I felt was a deep emptiness that knocked me flat when I tried to touch it,” Kendra explained. She didn’t normally like talking about her weird abilities to Jenna, or to anyone really, but she really didn’t feel like lying. There had been way too much of that in her life already.

Jenna looked thoughtful for a moment and then she smacked her cousin on the shoulder.

“Hey!” Kendra yelled. “That hurt.”

“It was supposed to! Idiot,” Jenna replied. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”

“See?” Conor chimed in. “Told you it was dumb.”

“What did it feel like?” Felix asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Jenna turned and shot him a dark, scathing look which was echoed by Conor, even though the two couldn’t see him.

“What?” Felix shrugged sheepishly. “It’s weird, okay. And I was curious.”

“It felt like...like...being hollow. Like nothing. And it…” She paused. “It hurt but not in a physical way if that makes sense.”

“I guess,” Felix replied. “Sort of.”

“I don’t recommend anyone ever do that,” Kendra went on. “Not fun.”

Jenna narrowed her eyes at Felix again and then turned back to Kendra, a wide smile on her face.

“Guess what?”

“Are you actually going to make me guess?” Kendra replied.

“No. I know you hate guessing games. Anyway, we found them. We’ve come up with a battle plan to wipe out the vampires holding up in the Hotel Lycaon.”

Kendra shot up at that news, which was a mistake as a wave of dizziness roiled through her head.

“Really?” she asked.

Jenna just nodded, still smiling. That smile faltered a bit when she saw the expression on Kendra’s face.

“What is it?” Jenna asked.

There was a long hesitation and then Kendra’s eyes went white for the briefest second. When they cleared, she looked Jenna in the eyes.

“I have my own plan and I want both of you to be part of it.” Kendra’s mouth was set in a firm, determined line. “But no one can know other than the ones I deem necessary to bring in. Do you both understand?”

Jenna and Felix looked questioningly at her.

“But our plan…”

“Will fail,” Kendra cut in. “They’re just too damned strong. But I think…”

She stopped herself, her jaw clenching.

“No. I don’t think. I know. I know my plan will work.”

“How can you know?” Jenna asked.

“Because it’s the only way we stand a chance. Trust me. Once I explain it, you’ll both agree,” Kendra told them. “Do we have a deal?”

Jenna and Felix looked like they wanted to protest but something about Kendra’s unerring confidence told them it would be unwise.

“Let’s hear it,” Jenna said and Felix nodded his agreement too.

Kendra smiled slightly and then told them everything. Every last detail. When she was done, neither one said anything for a long time.

Then Jenna blurted out.

“Are you fucking crazy?” she screamed.