“I’m feeling good and owe him a hand.”
Joshua leaned heavily against Hunter feeling like a drunk man. “You’re okay, Hunter. No matter what anyone says.”
The only reason Joshua stayed on his feet was the result of Hunter’s assistance. Right before he left medical, he glanced over his shoulder one more time at Alexandria. She seemed so small to him, her still form not moving at all. He thanked the Ancients she was alive and returned to him, but he didn’t understand why they would let this happen to her. There had to be an answer, but being the Ancients, they only revealed the truth when it was time.
Hunter pulled him forward when he stalled at the door.
“Come on, man. She won’t be going anywhere and you want to be at your best when she comes to.”
****
Mind numbing panic was the first thing Alexandria experienced when she awoke. Her thoughts were disjointed, present and past overlapping each other. Was she in the dungeon again chained up like an animal? Turin had promised she would suffer endlessly again if she disobeyed him. When she tried to move her arms, she realized she was restrained in several places.
Keeping her eyes closed and her breathing even so no one would know she was conscious, she tested how each point of her body was restricted. Flexing each limb, she found she was locked down by her wrists and ankles. Unusual, since Turin would also tie her down by her waist and neck. In that position, he could do any amount of experimentation on her he wanted. He did too, injecting burning liquids into her blood stream, slicing off pieces of skin and flesh to perform his tests. At times, he just liked to torture her, stabbing her, drawing Life Power from her. Anything to see how close he could bring her to death.
During those sessions he would whisper to her that the Wraith were her only family. If she swore her allegiance to them, then the torment and pain would stop. Even now, any thought otherwise brought intense pain to her skull and shrieking from the Wraith side of her. Yes, she was Turin’s half Wraith and she had a mission. Turin would give her freedom and all of the Life Power she would ever want if she killed the Sphinx leader, Michael. The image of her driving her Power Sword through Michael’s heart brought intense pleasure and pain.
Alexandria didn’t understand why the pleasure and pain came together. It should just bring her pleasure to do Turin’s bidding. She had been well on her way to completing her mission too, but one of the Sphinx Warriors had snuck up behind her before she could finish it, damn it. Killing him would have been easy too, because the leader had dropped his guard. Thinking about Michael’s death made her skull start pounding again.
A noise next to her brought her back to the current situation. Strapped to something, unable to move, and possibly back in the lab for more discipline from Turin, since evidently she had failed in her mission, brought instant panic. She had to find a way to escape.
Listening intently, she followed the sound of movement. Someone small and light-footed, the whisper of material, and the metallic click of something she couldn’t identify. Alexandria cracked her lids just enough to see but not give away she was awake. What she saw made her blood run cold. She was not in the Wraith stronghold any more and more than likely not in the Drake dimension. This place was too clean, the air was fresh, and there was so much light. Drake was dark, suffocating with heat, and had the constant presence of swirling, choking dust.
The enemy had captured her and she had to escape immediately. First, though, she had to assess her situation. She scanned the room finding there were five personnel present. The closest was a young blond-haired female wearing a lab coat and holding a glass ampule of clear liquid. She was in the process of pulling the fluid into a syringe. The second was a young dark-haired male also wearing a lab coat. He had a long barely healed slash down the right side of his face and his arm was in a sling. Sitting at a table, he appeared to be sorting paperwork. Alexandria also noted three other males positioned at different locations around the room in full battle gear.
She smiled inwardly pleased the three had such strong Life Power. The energy made her hungry and she would drain each of them to gain enough strength to complete her mission and escape back to the Drake dimension. These people were not strong enough to keep such a strong Wraith as she prisoner.
“Jenny, do you think Alexandria will ever be herself again? There’s so much damage to her Sphinx genetics. The Wraith DNA is like a virus all through her system almost completely destroying any presence of her true genes,” the dark-haired man asked while he continued to sort the papers in front of him.
“I don’t know, Warren. It’s a wonder she’s even alive, the mess Turin has made of her system. Physically, she’s been changed, her inner Sphinx appears to be gone, and there are way too many Wraith characteristics to make me comfortable around her.”
Alexandria covertly watched the woman now known to her as Jenny turn towards her and remove the needle from the rubber stopper of the ampule. She placed it on the counter next to her and capped the syringe before putting it in her coat pocket.
“I’m beyond relieved we found her, but I don’t know if we’ll ever have the Alexandria back that we know and love.”
Alexandria stiffened, the female’s words echoed in her brain – the Alexandria we know and love. How could that be? They were the enemy so how could they ever know and love her. The Wraith were her family and there was no love. Only hatred and cold brutality. The strongest and the most skilled at taking Life Power away from others survived. Completing missions and being given a break from the daily beatings from Turin was the only loving anyone got in life. Love… her head wanted to explode just from the thought of the word. She loved no one and no one loved her.
An alarm went off somewhere across the room and the dark haired man stood up. He moved over to the far end of the room and Alexandria could just barely make him out while he did something on the other side of the room to make the annoying sound stop.
“Jenny, it’s time for her injection. We don’t want her waking up too soon. Do you want me to give it to her?”
“No, I can do it. I’ve already got it prepped.”
Alexandria sensed Jenny moving closer to her. Why would they be giving her an injection? Turin gave her injections and then her body would scream with pain as if her skin was being peeled off an inch at a time.
Alexandria’s eyes snapped open, pinning Jenny with the most hateful glare she could muster. There was no way she could take any more injections and she had to escape the restraints now. Shrieking at the top of her lungs to try and drive this Jenny away, she flexed against the bands holding her wrists and ankles. Oh yes, she knew her Wraith shriek was the most un-nerving sound ever. She had chased away many a Wraith who had tried to kill her with her ear-piercing shriek alone.
Jenny covered her ears. “Alexandria, stop. We’re not going to hurt you. This is just to make you relax while we try and do some more tests on you and to make you comfortable.” Alexandria noticed the three guards approaching her, but Jenny put up her hand.
“No, its fine. She’s still restrained and not going anywhere.”
Pulling the syringe out of her pocket, Jenny cautiously moved closer. Alexandria shrieked louder and fought against her restraints. She couldn’t let them inject her. Injections always caused pain and she suffered for days. Anything, she would do anything to escape that. Let her be and she would kill anyone they wanted.
“Alexandria it’s okay. I won’t hurt you I promise.”
Alexandria didn’t believe her. There was only torture and pain. It was a lie. Oh Great Wraith within me, give me strength against these enemies. She focused deep inside where her darkness lay and pulled against the straps with all her might. Nothing happened for a moment and then the darkness within her flared to life. All four of the restraints popped off her limbs at the same time.
In a lightening quick move, she squatted to her feet on the gurney and in a hissing voice said, “Ahh, but I promise no such thing.”
Flipping o
ff the far side of the gurney, Alexandria landed on her feet and reflexed her black Element to a deadly Sword. The darkness inside of her laughed with glee and urged her to destroy and kill anything within her reach. She would be rewarded with such wonderful Power. Laughing hysterically, she ignored Jenny and focused on the three guards who were quickly advancing on her. She took note that one of them was communicating through a hand held device.
Faster than they could track her, she was in front of the guard with the communicator and knocked it from his hand. She laughed in his face and slammed him against the back wall before he could engage her with his sword. The other two guards tried to trap her between them. She spun on her toe maneuvering away from them and blocking a well-aimed side swing with her blade.
This guard seemed to be more proficient and determined to stop her. He sliced through the air at her head but she overhead blocked, he completed his arcing swing dropping towards her legs but this time she back flipped out of the way landing crouched on the floor.
“You idiot. Stop her, don’t kill her.” The taller guard yelled at the other who was still trying to advance on her. “She’s still Michael’s sister, even if she is a Wraith. He’ll kill you if you take her out.”
Alexandria slowly stood up, her weapon becoming so very heavy in her hand. Michael’s sister? Who was Michael’s sister? She felt confused. Where am I? Her head ached and her ears began to ring. A shrieking was consuming her mind and she just wanted it to stop. Kill them, kill them now. Take their Life Power. She shook her head trying to stop the dark demands. Before she could find her equilibrium, the guard advanced on her and sliced his sword across her arm.
Screaming in fury, she jumped back out of his reach. Red blackness dropped over her sight and the mantra of kill, kill, kill rang through her head. She would kill this man, but first she would make him pay for her pain and then she would hold him close and draw every bit of life out of him. Shrieking, she ran at him.
The man’s expression was priceless to her as she engaged him over and over again in a vicious offensive attack with her Sword. The other guards tried to get near her to save him but her lightening quick reflexes threw them back while she continued to play with her mouse. Finally, she weakened him to the point he was disarmed. Grabbing him by the neck, she slammed him into the wall pressing her body against his.
“Your life is mine,” she hissed.
Staring deep into the man’s hazel eyes, she plunged her darkness into his mind numbing him so he couldn’t move. She dove into his system and began pulling the energy out of his shaking form. The darkness within her writhed in glory and drunkenness while she took life from the helpless male. She thought it would be perfect if that stupid female called Jenny would just stop screaming. Perhaps, I will kill her next.
Smiling at the man, she decided she was done toying with him. Vaguely, she wondered why the other two guards weren’t attacking her anymore, but didn’t really care. The darkness only wanted the life. Just before she engaged to yank the rest of the life out of the man, an incredible jolt of energy hit her in the side. She was thrown down to the ground in a heap.
The jolt was so intense her head spun from the new energy still sizzling along her nerves. Alexandria lifted herself to her hands and knees shaking her head. Lifting her hand from the floor, she tried to reflex her Sword, but she found she was too unbalanced to form her Sword. Fury burned in her. She was never supposed to be helpless again. Turin would punish her severely for failure. She shrieked and staggered to her feet, her head down, and her hair hanging in disarray. She swept it back, staring hatefully at those surrounding her.
“I’m sorry, Alexandria, but I couldn’t let you harm the Guardian Elite.” This was spoken from a woman dressed in black and violet. Her white blond hair was captured in an intricate twist at the back of her neck and her light blue eyes appeared to ask for forgiveness to Alexandria. But there would be no forgiveness.
She started to advance forward when several low growls vibrated in her ears. As the excessive sizzling of the energy which had bombarded her earlier started to wear off she became aware of the others surrounding her. More fighting men. Extremely large, well-muscled males staring her down with a mix of emotions. Anger, disbelief, remorse, compassion, confusion, desire, love. Love? She panicked and her heart started racing out a furious beat.
Alexandria swept her arm in front of her. “There is no love!” She screamed. “Only hatred and death.”
“No, there is love, Alexandria. You are our family and you are loved.” One of the Warriors with blond hair moved up behind the female who had hit her with the energy. He reached around her waist and drew her up against his body.
Shaking her head back and forth, Alexandria felt the darkness deep within her deny what she was seeing. There was no family. There was no love. Yes, only the Life Power and death. She clenched her hand trying to shake the aftereffects of the energy attack and reflex her Sword. Destroy them all. Take their Life Power. Yes, that was what she would do.
Bringing her hand up, she readied herself to reflex when the static eventually stopped dancing through her system. Attack and win, or succumb and die, but fight to the end. Her odds weren’t good with so many battle-hardened males surrounding her, but she would go down fighting in honor of her Wraith brethren. The damn bastards.
“Alexandria, please stop.” A deep voice called to her so gently. Something inside her cried out to hear the unseen male’s voice again. He was somewhere to her rear and to the right but she didn’t dare look for him. There were too many in front of her and to her sides. To spin in any direction would leave her vulnerable, just as she was vulnerable now. But oh, how she needed to see the owner of those words which had felt like a caress to her soul. Frustration made her angrier, and she shrieked at all of those who prevented her from finding him.
Just a few seconds more and she would be able to form her Power Sword and fight to the death if necessary for her freedom. First, she would have to knock the blond woman, Jenny, who was approaching her again with the syringe, out of the way. Alexandria didn’t want to kill her. Jenny wasn’t the enemy and the effort wasn’t worth it considering there wasn’t much Life Power within the woman. She was definitely not Sphinx.
“It’s okay, Alexandria, it won’t hurt. I promise.” Spoken so softly while Jenny approached her inch by careful inch. Alexandria hissed at her and backed up. She had heard that promise before right before Turin had sunk the dull needle into her neck and forced burning liquid into her already tormented body.
So fixated on escaping the needle, Alexandria hadn’t realized how far she had backed up. Suddenly, she was surrounded by two strong arms. She fought and kicked back at the unseen captor and threw her head backward. Satisfaction coursed through her when she heard a snap and a grunt. Score one for her. Still, Jenny, in her white lab coat was getting closer and closer with the syringe which would only cause Alexandria more pain.
Panicking from the intense fear the dripping needle evoked, she locked her body into position and reached down grabbing the man’s arms. Digging her nails in drawing blood, she focused on his energy and let the darkness in her take over. The black inky hunger swirled out through her fingertips and grabbed at the energy. A sharp intake of breath told her she had scored. The man had no choice but to let go of her or die.
As soon as he released her, he tried to get out of her reach but he was far too late. Shrieking at him, Alexandria spun lightning fast to find a tall sandy brown haired man standing behind her with a crystalline ankh on his right cheek. What a perfect target, you fool. With her Wraith hardened nails bared, she swung directly at his cheek tearing deep gouges from the corner of his shocked eye, across the ankh, and to the side of his chin.
“Fuck!” he cried while blood splashed everywhere and he staggered back grabbing the side of his face. Alexandria stood there watching him wondering why the satisfaction of her score didn’t surface. If anything, she felt saddened by what she had just done.
R
ealizing the heavily armed men around her were coming in with weapons drawn, she moved to reflex her Sword. Yes, it was time to battle and she would not slow down until they took her head. Right before she started the reflex, someone else grabbed her on both sides of her face. Larger, stronger hands than the man she had just marked yanked her head around pulling her right against his tall frame.
Hissing, she swung her hand to rake her nails down his face as well, but right before she would have made contact, she froze in place. Her hand hovered shaking just a breath away from his cheek. Looking into his face, she knew in what heart she had left that she was lost forever. The man’s grieving bluish silver eyes consumed her. She felt herself spiraling down into their depths and just didn’t want to move away from his embrace. His very essence seemed to surround her, whispering of protection and warmth, and his scent was tantalizing and unique.
The dark Wraith side of her shrieked in the depths of her mind, but she ignored it for the first time since its presence within her. Alexandria’s hand unclawed and relaxed. She then moved it one precious inch to run her hand through the strands of his long strawberry blond hair. Transfixed, she smoothed her fingertips over the stubble on his jaw and then across his lips. Smiling, she watched in pleasure as the pupils of his eyes dilated. She wondered if he would stay still and let her taste those masculine lips. Just one taste.
“Jenny, have your medical team look to Guardian Arik, now,” the wonderfully masculine man rasped.
Alexandria pressed closer to him liking the feel of his body against hers. She could sense the faster beating of his heart.
Looking behind her, he firmly ordered, “The rest of you stand down. I have her.”
“Mine,” she whispered not sure of what she was claiming. Trying to turn and see what had claimed his attention behind her, she suddenly remembered her situation. Stiffening, she grabbed at his arms wanting to defend him.
“Careful, don’t hurt,” she mumbled to herself.
Sphinx Transformed (The Sphinx Warriors Series Book 3) Page 4