Sphinx Transformed (The Sphinx Warriors Series Book 3)

by Christine Murphy

  Joshua stood his ground. The Wraith in her would not intimidate him into harming Alexandria. “Alexandria, damn it, listen. I need you to come back to me.” He hated this. He was a Warrior. Why was he begging this wisp of a woman? Deep down he knew why. He couldn’t live without her. “Didn’t you hear me? I need you. Please.” He grated out.

  Alexandria stood unmoving just watching him. She stroked his body with her eyes from head to toe and his blood ran hot from the experience. He could almost feel her fingertips against his skin. “Why Life Power low?” He didn’t answer her. He couldn’t answer her and give away the condition of their Power Keeper with the Wraith so near the surface. Who knew if it could communicate with Turin. “Why low?” She screamed at him in frustration.

  Not rising to the bite of her verbal attack, he levelly answered, “It doesn’t matter. I’m doing fine. Isn’t that what you really want to know, Lexi? If I’m doing fine? How you can help me? You’re our doc, Alexandria. Don’t you want to take care of me and make me better?”

  He couldn’t tell if he was getting through to her or not, but she was definitely confused. She rubbed at her face, flung her long hair out of her way in agitation, and pulled at the tattered clothes she wore. Curling her hands into fists, her breathing became more erratic and she chewed on her lower lip. “Power should not be low. Life Power is mine!” She shrieked at a mind-numbing decibel and Joshua cringed from the pain to his eardrums alone.

  Perhaps not revealing his true condition to her was a big mistake. Realizing he might have just infuriated the darkness within her, all he could do was lift his hands and try to supplicate her. The action didn’t make it any better. There didn’t appear to be anything he could do to calm her so he stood there unmoving and waiting while she shrieked at him. She quieted for just a moment - and then attacked him.

  Alexandria was a lot stronger than she looked. One second he was standing before her, and the next, he was flat on his back on the cell floor with her on top of him, her nails imbedded in his shoulders. He kept his arms out to his sides hoping it wouldn’t aggravate her further. Not that he was the biggest of the aggravations. Jenny was screaming outside the door for help and Warren was cursing up a storm. But at least the man had enough common sense to go to the communications panel, which wasn’t what Joshua wanted. He didn’t want anyone else to elevate the situation any more than it was.

  Besides, Alexandria wasn’t harming him other than the stinging of her nails. Even with her lunging for him with a wicked expression on her face, there wasn’t an instant when he had feared her. Currently, he was quite happy with her sprawled across his body. He thought perhaps he really had lost his sense and was just enjoying the masochism. Or it could be he was just enjoying being pressed up against her with her hips tightly straddled over his. Her luscious breasts were pressed up against his chest and he could feel her nipples tighten through the thin fabric of their clothes.

  The shouting and chaos outside the cell door faded away from his consciousness when he felt Alexandria’s breath whisper against his ear in little puffs. A hot flash of energy suddenly ran all the way down his spine and through the center of his body to settle at the base of his cock. That fast and she had fired up not only his body but his Life Power. Joshua heard Alexandria’s breath hitch in her throat. Her nails eased up out of his skin but she still kept a firm grip on his shoulders. He felt her shift just a bit and then she was full on rubbing her core against him.

  “By the Ancients, Lexi.” He groaned. Hoping he wouldn’t incite any damage, he reached for her hips and tried to stop the enticing movements and what she was doing to him. Not that he really wanted her to stop, but he wanted Alexandria fully with him when they came together. And he knew now that he really did want to come apart with her more than anything. But not now, not here.

  Joshua squeezed harder on her hips and she moaned in his ear. She fisted the collar of his shirt in her hand and the next thing he knew, she had shredded half of it off of his shoulder. He had to get control of the situation now. “Alexandria, you have to stop.”

  Evidently not inclined to listen to him, she nipped and licked along the column of his throat and then across his collarbone to his shoulder. The hand she wasn’t using to brace herself above him wandered down his chest, over his stomach, and down across his erection. Growling in her ear, he captured her naughty hand entrapping it. He moved her wandering hand back up his body and held it against his chest. She purred and he felt her teeth graze his shoulder.

  Jolted back to his senses by the sensation and its implications, he grabbed her hands with lightning speed and rolled over with her. Entrapping her hands above her head and throwing his leg over hers, he held her down. Luckily, she didn’t fight back, but lay there looking up at him with a bit of satisfaction and a bit of confusion.

  Had she really known what she was doing tempting fate and playing with the spot where Power Mates in ancient times marked each other before the Joining? Joshua didn’t think so, but who knew with the current condition she was in. And if she knew what she had been doing, which part of her was trying to claim him? Alexandria, the Wraith, or was her inner Sphinx still alive and kicking somewhere within her? All three? The complexity of the situation was a bit disconcerting.

  “Lexi, we have to stop. Do you understand?” Joshua wasn’t sure if she understood since some of the sensual haze still seemed to be clinging to her, but he was relieved when her expression cleared a bit and she nodded.

  “Yes, I think that’s a very good suggestion.” A tightly spoken command sounded right by the door.

  Joshua looked up to find Khenti Michael standing outside the cell door, a thunderous expression written across his face. Jenny and Warren stood nearby trying to look in any direction but inside the cell. Sauntering up right behind Michael were Jacob and Hunter their arms crossed, each trying to keep the smirks off their faces. Joshua was glad Raven wasn’t present. The man would have incited Michael even more.

  “Khenti, it’s not what it looks like. Well it is, but…” Joshua realized he was just babbling and making things worse. Only Alexandria could mess his head up this way. Joshua knew his ass was in trouble when Michael growled long and low.

  Alexandria didn’t seem to care about the exchange and tension around her. She continued to try and rub up against Joshua. “Damn it. Alexandria, stop.” Thank goodness, his words got through to her and she stopped moving against him. Of course, now she pouted beneath him. Keeping an eye on her and what she might do next, Joshua tried to concentrate on the conversation and explain to his leader.

  “Michael, I was trying to describe to her about the suppression.” Alexandria stiffened underneath him and he shifted to make sure she couldn’t escape. “Jenny gave the syringe to me and I was trying to get through to Alexandria. Which as you can see didn’t work out as planned.”

  “I would have never surmised that.” Michael still sounded a bit pissed to Joshua.

  Joshua sighed and wanted to laugh when Alexandria turned her head towards Michael and growled at him.

  Michael lowered himself closer to the floor and excitedly asked, “I thought her Sphinx was gone.”

  Jenny spoke up, “There was very little of the Sphinx DNA left, at least that we could find. I’m hoping her behavior is a good sign and not the Wraith mimicking.”

  Breaking into the conversation, Joshua spoke his mind, “There’s no way a Wraith is going to be able to imitate a Sphinx. They’re not that clever.” Alexandria hissed up at him. He looked down at her. “Fine. Prove me wrong and let me help you. I still have the suppressant. Will you let me help you?”

  Alexandria stubbornly stared up at him, giving him no reply. Joshua hung his head and closed his eyes. He was so tired and his Life Power level seemed to be dropping again. What the hell is wrong with me? “Lexi, please let me help you. You’re breaking my heart. What more do you want from me?”

  “O-okay.” She stuttered. Joshua sighed in relief and looked down at her to see how she was
doing. She appeared to be struggling to reach him from the depths of her entrapped psyche. “Can’t break your heart…Joshua.” Alexandria tried to pull her arms free but Joshua held on tight. He could detect a burning anger beginning to surface. “No audience. No…no Michael see.” She tossed her head and her muscles tensed under his hold. “H…hurry, Joshua.”

  He would have to be hard and border on disrespectful, but he would just have to suffer the consequences later. Directing a stern look at his Khenti he growled, “You heard her. Everybody out except those who can support her medically.”

  Michael didn’t take the demand well. He pushed up to his full height and slammed his fist into the Plexiglas. Yes, Joshua thought he was definitely going to pay later. Pay for both his demand and for the image he was sure Alexandria and he made earlier laying on the floor pawing at each other.

  “She’s my sister!” Michael shouted, “I won’t be going anywhere.”

  All the shouting was just aggravating the situation and not accomplishing anything in Joshua’s opinion. Alexandria was in full flight mode now, she was squirming and arching her body to get away from him. Joshua couldn’t take much more of her suffering; he was going to give her the shot anyway if the stand-off didn’t end. Taking both of her wrists still pinned over her head in one hand, he reached into his fatigue pocket and pulled out the syringe. He brought it close enough so Alexandria could see it and know his intentions.

  Joshua could see her fear surface. Turning to Michael again, Alexandria begged, “P..please, Michael. No see.” When he appeared indecisive, she cried out, “No see! You trust Joshua. I…I trust Joshua.” Running out of energy to fight, Alexandria lay there, tossing her head back and forth mumbling, “No hurt, Joshua. Hurry.”

  Popping the cap off the needle with his thumb, he gave Michael the last opportunity to make the decision either for or against Alexandria’s request. In the end, Michael did exactly what Joshua thought he would do. He spun away grabbing the other two Warriors and departed. Joshua sighed. Yeah, he was going to pay big. But for Alexandria, it was worth it.

  Leaning down, he kissed her forehead and whispered, “Hang on, Lexi. I’m bringing you home.” He almost cried out himself when he had to pierce her tender skin on the side of her neck with the needle. Her entire body tensed beneath him and she stared in terror at the ceiling. Joshua went as slow with pushing the fluid in as he could, but it still had to have stung with the powerful chemistry Jenny and Warren had to use in making it.

  When he was done, he threw the needle away and curled his body around Alexandria. All he wanted to do was protect her from whatever was going to happen. He let her hands free and pulled her closer. At first, she struggled against him, shrieking in fury. She punched and kicked against him. Occasionally, she dug her nails into him, but the damage was minimal, even though it looked worse with all the holes in his shirt. The fury of having been injected again was spent quickly and she stilled.

  The stillness didn’t last long, though. The suppressant circulated through her system and Joshua felt her entire body convulse when it hit the Wraith portion of her body. She screamed and thrashed against him. He gritted his teeth holding on to her and using his body as a buffer so she wouldn’t hurt herself. The shrieks of the Wraith and the screams of Alexandria filled the cell for several endless minutes. Sometimes it was Wraith, sometimes it was her. At other times, Joshua’s ears vibrated with both of the voices overlapping each other.

  “Jenny! We’re going to need some scrubs and something to clean her later.” Alexandria was drenched beneath him from the heat she was putting off. “And some proper bedding. She’s going to be all bruised to hell. Fuck!” Another hard convulsion twisted her beneath him. He thought he heard bones snap and he hoped he wasn’t doing damage to her with his weight. It wasn’t like he was light or anything.

  Whatever the suppression was doing to her wasn’t good. He hoped while it was putting down the Wraith side of her, the drugs weren’t destroying his Lexi as well. How the hell she was going to survive this new torment, he didn’t know. He couldn’t imagine her having to endure this every single night. What kind of existence would that be? “Hang on, Alexandria. I’m here for you. I promise I won’t leave you.” His throat tightened up and he whispered for her ears alone, “Don’t leave me.”

  Joshua felt Alexandria twist her hands in his already shredded shirt and heard her moan of anguish. She pulled on the shirt so hard that what few threads holding it together gave way and Joshua felt the rest of the front of it rip away. Her soft palms rested gently up against his chest even though the rest of her body twitched violently. The skin-to-skin contact was a shock to his system, especially with how incredibly hot her temperature was.

  Before he could even gather his thoughts from the feeling of her hands on him, Alexandria unexpectedly tapped into his Life Power. He gasped preparing to give his Power, his very life to her, if that was what she needed to survive the suppression. The revelation that he had no fear of stepping into the boundaries of death for her wasn’t a surprise to him. He had spent ages protecting her above all else and realized as long as he was alive and she was alive, he would continue to watch over her. No matter what her brother thought.

  Yeah, if he survived whatever she was about to do to him, he would need to deal with Michael. There was no way he was going to deny himself the pleasure of Alexandria anymore. No matter she was sister to the Khenti of the Sphinx Warriors or what she ended up being.

  Bracing himself for discomfort and what was to come, he grabbed her chin turning her face up so he could look into her sweet face. The pain was still written there, but her concentration was turned out to him now. He sensed the push of Power before he felt it. And by the Ancients, the energy was incredible. Alexandria didn’t take his Power but pushed Power into him.

  He expected a dark energy, but Power was only the light Life Power of Alexandria. Her touch, her scent surrounded him for a moment. A sweet cinnamon which made his mouth water. His entire system felt energized, the exhaustion leaving him. His energy level increased giving him strength.

  Joshua concentrated on the weak connection which Alexandria had opened. Using it, he pushed Life Power back to her. She gasped, her eyes closing in pleasure. The lines of pain around her mouth and eyes eased for a moment. When he tried to brush along the connection and into her system, she snatched her hands away from his chest, closing the conduit.

  Her presence when she had touched his Life Power had been incredible. He wondered what it would feel like if their Life Forces touched and was determined one day that he would know. But she had to come out of this nightmare first. Without his Life Power surging into her, she began to thrash under him again. All he could do was hold on to her with everything in him and try to find the connection again to ease her pain and give her strength. Joshua held her close, promising anything to the Ancients to bring his Alexandria back from the brink of being in the claws of the inner Wraith, “Hold on, Lexi. I’ll do anything to bring you back. I’ll give you more Life Power than you could ever imagine, if that’s what it takes.”

  Chapter Four

  Trapped, unable to move, and starving for Life Power. A hunger that burned so hot for the energy there just wasn’t enough to stave off the gut wrenching need for it. More, she had to have more. Give me more!! The horrible mantra of the Wraith Turin had genetically engineered into her had mercilessly ranted and screamed at her for the Power. The inner creature had never stopped, never, no matter how many fellow Wraith she had drained Life Power in the process of trying to silence it.

  Now, mysteriously, the creatures begging and taunting had diminished to a slight murmur, a whisper in the lower levels of her consciousness. She couldn’t even begin to describe the relief, but still Alexandria gasped trying to pull more air into her starving lungs. The panic which was overwhelming her couldn’t be stopped. She felt trapped, surrounded by an unmoving wall of strength, yet at the same time felt a safeness she hadn’t had in weeks, maybe months. Sh
e just wasn’t sure.

  Where she was or how she had gotten there she couldn’t clearly remember either. All she knew was she was laying on something soft, covered in warmth, and up against another being. Taking stock of her situation, she realized she had her hands twisted in the person’s shirt and she was weighted down by someone’s strong arms. Ancients, don’t let it be Turin, or a Wraith. The very thought made her want to be violently sick.

  “It’s alright, Lexi. You’re safe, here with me. On my life, I’ll never let anything happen to you again.” A deep masculine voice whispered so near her ear.

  Everything that had happened in the past few weeks collapsed in on her. She buried her face in Joshua’s shirt. Her Josh. The Warrior she had known almost all of her life who had always been there for her, protecting her, keeping her safe. One terrible event had separated her from him and she didn’t ever think to see him again. Turin had almost taken over her life so she would never see him again.

  Twisting her hands harder in Joshua’s shirt, she let the overwhelming emotions and terror take over her. She sobbed uncontrollably, her body shaking with tremors, but she didn’t care because she knew Josh would take care of her. The images hit her one after another while she relived the horrible treatment by Turin. The beatings, the injections, the forced killings, and the training for her ultimate goal. To kill Michael, her brother. The brother she loved with all her heart. To kill him would kill her, but Turin did such a good job of twisting her mind, reality and nightmare had become one in the same. The only way to get the Life Power the Wraith screamed for was to follow his orders, to train for a mission which would kill her physically or mentally forever.

  “Sshh. I’ve got you. Tell me what you need, Lexi. Please.” Joshua held her tighter and brushed his hand over her hair, down her back. His touch was incredible and brought peace to her chaotic thoughts, her battered body. She had lost hope she would see him again and that he would perish while she was gone.