Sphinx Transformed (The Sphinx Warriors Series Book 3)

by Christine Murphy

  Jacob grabbed Michael’s arm pushing the Sword down. “Whoa there, Khenti. Your sister isn’t the only one who has a tendency to risk her neck without back-up.”

  Joshua breathed a huge sigh of relief when he noted it was Eleina with Hunter accompanying her and appearing more than ready to do battle. She looked at the group of them and the mess of dead Wraith in shock. More shrieking from the next round of incoming Wraith had her shooting a panicked glance over their heads.

  “We’ve got to go now. Stormy’s out of energy to hold the connection with the Gate any longer and I see we’re about to have more company than we can handle.” Eleina held both of her arms out in a sign for them to grab on.

  Joshua balanced Alexandria in his arms and grabbed on to Eleina. He was more than ready to get back home. Time was of the essence and they needed to get to the Trauma Cell so he could bring Alexandria back. And he would bring her back or he wouldn’t have the strength to carry on without her.

  In a flash of blinding light and a moment of corporeal imbalance, Joshua and the rest of the team flashed back into the staging cavern. Once he regained his balance, Joshua didn’t wait to greet the other waiting Warriors, Guardians Elite, or his Power Keeper, but quickly carried Alexandria into the Trauma Cell. He could hear the others following and calling his name but he ignored them all and shoved the doors open with a well-placed shoulder.

  His unannounced entry startled the medical staff and they scattered out of his way. Making a beeline to the nearest cot, he gently laid Alexandria down on it. Jenny was beside him in an instant with Warren right behind her. Both of them tried to push him out of the way but he growled loudly and they shifted their positions to accommodate his presence.

  Jenny grabbed a scanner and started examining Alexandria while Warren grabbed a warm blanket and covered her cold body. Joshua could only watch in numb shock while they poked and prodded at her. They stripped the rest of her ripped and shredded clothing off her and started scrubbing off the blood and gore to check the damage underneath.

  For a moment, the floor felt like it was dropping out from underneath Joshua’s feet and the next thing he knew he was sitting in a chair which Jacob had pushed him into. Joshua leaned forward putting his head in his hands and drew in deep breaths to steady his shaky energy. All he could think about was seeing Alexandria buried under the mound of vicious Wraith, their hands and claws all over her. Pushing back out of the chair, he snarled in fury causing the nearest medical staff to scatter away from him.

  A hand on his shoulder had him ready to attack.

  “Easy, Joshua. It’s just me, Jacob. Alexandria’s safe. You’re safe. No Wraith. See?”

  Jacob pointed around the room and Joshua calmed down realizing he was just causing more issues than they needed at the moment. Alexandria needed to be the focus, not him and his unruly inner Sphinx.

  All Joshua knew was that he needed to be near her more than he needed to breathe. Shoving his way back over to her side, he gently placed a hand on her now clean shoulder. In just that short amount of time, Jenny and Warren had her cleaned up and bandaged. Where before she was white as a sheet and there was no detectable respiration, now Joshua could see the slight rise and fall of her chest and her skin had a slight pinkness. It was obvious she was still in trouble with dark circles under her eyes and not a bit of evidence of sparkling energy at all to her skin.

  “How is she?” He asked. His dry throat and lack of energy made his voice rough.

  Jenny shook her head. “Not good. The readings are all over the place. Just when I think her Life Force is going to stabilize then it dives off the charts again. I just don’t think she has the strength to come back to us.”

  The entire room broke out in cries and denials of losing Alexandria. Joshua just stood there, his hands in fists and his vision blurring.

  “Like hell she’s leaving me. Everyone get away from her.”

  He pushed Jenny and anyone else standing near Alexandria away. Someone grabbed his shoulder, but he heard Michael yell, “Leave him be! If she can be saved, he’s the only one who can do it. Everyone out, now!” The last was barked with the authority that Joshua had seen Michael carry for centuries.

  Within moments, the entire Trauma Cell was empty except for Michael. Joshua turned to him and simply said, “Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. Just bring her back.” With him saying his piece, he turned and left.

  Dead silence was left behind. Not even the sounds of the medical equipment throughout the Cell seemed to want to fill the air with electronic sound. All Joshua could hear was the steady in and out breaths softly coming from Alexandria. With his hand shaking, he reached under the sheets covering her and placed his palm over her heart. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the beat thumping under his hand and the rise and fall of her chest. If the simple life actions he was feeling stopped within her, he would gladly perish himself.

  “Lexi, I need you. Come back to me. I love you, “he whispered, his voice breaking with the heart wrenching emotions hammering at him. He leaned over her and kissed her with the gentleness and love he had such a hard time conveying to her at times. Joshua didn’t know if she would even be able to feel his presence but he had to try. By the Ancients, he had to try.

  Slowly he brushed his hand through her soft hair and leaned his forehead against hers. He opened the Joined Link they had shared so briefly and pushed his Power and Life Force along the connection. As weak as he was, Joshua knew this was dangerous and could sense the change in his own heart rhythm but he didn’t care. Down into her physical form, he pushed searching for some sign of the Alexandria he loved with everything in him. On and on he floated down the connection, his breathing becoming labored with each passing moment.

  Just being inside of her was incredible, and if this was the last thing he did, at least he would be close to her. Deep inside Alexandria’s body, he moved closer to her Life Force until the bright glow of her essence surrounded him. Still he didn’t feel her conscious mind stir, and the pain of the possible truth of her loss cut him painfully. His physical body gasped for air while his Life Force connected with hers. The contact was incredible and he held onto the moment as long as he could.

  Joshua wanted the contact to last forever but his energy was depleting at an increasing rate. There was very little of his gold Power left in his system, leaving only the blue dionic Power which would only cause increasing damage to his body. He realized the moment he had let loose with his Power Burst while trying to protect her he had severely shortened the amount of time he could survive without Alexandria’s healing touch.

  Brushing against her Life Force one last time, he sent to her, I love you Alexandria. All I ever wanted to do was to love you and protect you with every breath. I hope you can forgive me for my failure. Wanting to give her something before his own system failed, he released the remaining gold Power he held and surged the energy straight into her Life Force.

  The resulting flash of light blinded him and rendered him numb. He couldn’t move either physically or in the depths of the connection. All he could do was be engulfed with the resulting expansion of Power from the center of Alexandria’s Life Force. An image of a sleek black feline flashed before his eyes, her dark blue eyes focused on his. A warmth surrounded his Life Force embracing him and protecting him.

  Alexandria? He sent to her weakly but still there was no response. Still, he swore he could feel her presence and an incredible concentration emanating from her. Floating within her embrace, he couldn’t do anything else, his energy spent and his desire to even try and return to his physical form not even an option. Joshua just floated there lost in the warmth waiting for the darkness to take him.

  Several moments passed and when he didn’t vanish but held steady through the connection with Alexandria’s Life Force, he thought perhaps he wouldn’t die. Instead, he started to detect an increasing flow of energy from outside of Alexandria’s body. At first, it was very little, weak at be
st, but the Power was there. A thin stream floated along the connection and straight into the heart of Alexandria’s Life Force. As her light became brighter, thicker and thicker bands of rainbow energy shimmered into her system. Faster and faster, the energy spiraled in, brushing past him until another bright expansion of light and energy surrounded him and suddenly she was there with him.

  Joshua? Can you hear me? I feel you. Hang on. Please. The sound of her precious voice in his mind sent shivers through his system. Her presence became stronger and then she was sending Life Power straight into him.

  The sensation was beyond stimulating and he was sure if he could still feel his body he would have had the hardest erection ever. In his current state, he didn’t even know if he had a body to go back to. His beloved Power Healer was surrounding him in love and life, not only filling him with Life Power, but taking the dionic energy away. His energy returned with a vengeance, and just that quickly, he reconnected with the physical world.

  “Lexi.” He whispered as his Life Force reestablished itself in his ever-strengthening body. Taking in a deep breath, he brushed his lips across Alexandria’s, and he could have sung praise to the Ancients when he felt her return his kiss. Leaning back, he looked into her beautiful eyes and cupped her face in his hands. “I thought I had lost you. If you ever try and play heroine again, I’ll throw you in the restriction cell in medical and never ever let you out again.”

  Laughing and crying at the same time, Alexandria threw her arms around him and pulled him down burying her face against his chest. He had to brace himself otherwise he would have fallen over on top of her. Her strength had definitely returned.

  “Oh, Joshua. I almost lost you because of my stupidity. I know you probably can’t ever forgive and hate me for what I did to you, what I’ve done, but…”She began to sob hysterically, something Alexandria never did. Crying yes, but never hysterics.

  “Lexi, I understand why you had to go after the genetically altered Wraith and destroy them. They were dangerous but the Pages of Seven could have waited. Your life wasn’t worth the risk. Don’t you know I love you more than life itself? I could never hate you. Why would you say that?”

  Joshua felt Alexandria shake her head against his chest as if she was fighting herself and whatever horrible thing she thought she had done. He pushed up away from her and forced her to look at him. “Alexandria, please. Don’t shut me out, damn it.”

  Breaking the hold he had on her, she sat up quicker than lightening and was off the cot in the next instant. Dragging the sheets with her, she paced several feet away from him and wrapped the sheets tighter around her body. She stopped then her head down, her shoulders shaking, while she silently sobbed in her anguish.

  Joshua was broken up inside watching Alexandria try and suffer on her own. Anger sparked in him and he grabbed her arm spinning her around and forcing her to look at him.

  “Alexandria, whatever you think you’ve done to wrong me can be fixed. I assure you, there’s nothing that will hurt me more than you turning away from me and not trusting in the strength of our Joined love.”

  She gasped truly taken aback by his words. “It’s not that. I…”

  He watched her close her eyes and struggle with whatever was eating her up inside. Just a moment ago, he was basking in her light and love and he wanted the feeling back.

  “Alexandria, look at me. Let me in. I promise you no matter what, I won’t leave you. I swear it upon the life you have given back to me so many times.”

  Slowly, she opened her eyes, huge tears clinging to her eyelashes and rolling down her soft cheeks. He brushed the tears away with his fingertips and then kissed her. Slowly, gently, with the love he felt bubbling up from his depths.

  Finally, she haltingly whispered, “Alright, Joshua. For you, anything.” And in an instant, she opened their Joined link to him. He dived in without any reservation or doubt that what she had to show him wouldn’t make him think any less of her or make him hate her.

  At first, she simply brushed against him in their connected state. He could feel her uncertainty but he sent her encouragement. Then the images began flooding his mind and he gasped with the intensity of all of the truths previously released by Raven. One after the other they slammed into him, the abduction, the torture, the genetic injections and experiments, the surgical defamation, the breaking of her spirit, the training which went against her very nature. And finally, her killing of a Wraith child.

  In Alexandria’s mind, she saw her actions as the worst possible thing a healer could ever doto kill a child. The most depraved thing ever and she had committed it and standing over her watching—no commanding the kill was Turin and another Wraith Joshua had never seen before. A deformed Wraith with the essence of Alexandria’s DNA and a Power to control the Gate. The very reason for their current situation and the battle weary Sphinx they had all become.

  Slowly the images faded and Joshua stood there holding onto Alexandria as if she were his life line. How she had survived all of her torture and deadly lessons, not to mention keeping her sanity, he didn’t know. She was shaking like a leaf against him and the very thought of her in Turin and the other creatures clutches brought his beast suddenly to the surface.

  Joshua snarled in fury, his grip tightening on her. Alexandria suddenly started fighting against him. She tried to escape from his grasp but he held on tight not letting her go.

  Crying out she sobbed, “See? I knew it. You hate me. I’m so sorry, Joshua, I don’t blame you if you hate me forever. If I could, I would release you from our Joining.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Release him from their Joining? The breath was knocked right out of him and his Sphinx instantly quieted. Pushing Alexandria back he looked straight into her eyes. “Alexandria, stop. Feel me through our Link. I’m not angry at you. I’m livid at Turin and that animal he made, and when I get the chance, they’ll both die agonizingly at my hands. No mercy, no kindness.”

  Her struggling stopped as the meaning of his words sank in. Joshua brushed the tears from her cheek and then began running his hands through her hair. The action seemed to soothe her and helped him out too.

  “Lexi, I could never hate you. You must know that.” He pushed his love through their connection showering her in his glowing presence.

  She closed her eyes seemingly in ecstasy for a moment but then opened them again. Sadness showed and new tears pooled in their depths. “But I killed a child,” she sadly mumbled.

  “Alexandria, listen to me. Look closer at the truth. It might look like a Wraith child, but you were misled by Turin. Look at the image through my eyes.” He sent her the scene back and knew she wanted to turn away, but he held her, made her watch. Her eyes widened in shock as the image clarified.

  Joshua knew the moment he saw the memory that Turin had brain washed Alexandria into thinking she was evil. Demented, hateful. Someone who would kill her own brother. Before her, Joshua laid out the truth showing her the creature was not a child, although younger than the others. It, too, was ancient and evil waiting to take her life. The whole experiment had been one of the tests to see if she would give into the pull of taking energy and taking life.

  “Don’t you see, Alexandria. You weren’t evil. You were starving and fighting for your life. The child-like Wraith would have killed you if you hadn’t fought back.”

  Holding his breath, Joshua waited to see if what he showed Alexandria would bring her back to her strength and the belief in herself. He prayed she could get past what she thought she had done and to the real truth that even Raven couldn’t reveal for her.

  Slowly, he watched her expressions change. Shame for what she thought she had done, then the curiosity and courage that was always a part of her pushing her to look closely for the truth, and then finally the dawning shock of what the truth really was. She looked at him in awe and then flung her arms around him.

  “Oh, Josh. You’ve set me free.” She covered his face with kisses, smothering him in he
r embrace and love that flowed through their Link. Too soon, she released him and grabbed onto the falling sheet, re-securing it around her naked body. Joshua thought he wouldn’t have minded if the sheet had hit the floor but now wasn’t the time.

  Standing there, Alexandria peeked up beneath her lashes and bit at her lip. She had something else to reveal and evidently wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.

  Joshua sighed, tired of the barricades which kept being thrown up between them. “Spit it out, Alexandria.”

  “Um. Well, I kind of used my ability and knocked you out. But lucky for me, you were able to easily throw it off.”

  Finding that was the reason why she was still uncertain of his forgiveness, his heart lightened substantially. Putting on a daunting expression, he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, about that. If you ever try and do a stunt to my system like that again, I’ll personally tie you down and spank your ass until I have to kiss away the pain.”

  Alexandria instantly blushed. A beautiful pink which spread over her chest, up her throat, and across her cheeks. She didn’t blush easily, but when she did, it took his breath away. Not being able to resist, Joshua reached out and grabbed her. Crushing her against him, he captured her mouth with his kissing her deeply and running his hands under the sheet and across her back to her bare bottom. He pressed with his hands so she could feel the evidence of his desire for her.

  Coming up for air, he murmured against her lips. “Don’t ever leave me again like that. I love you too much to survive losing you.”

  “I won’t. I promise. The only thing I want is to be in your arms forever.” She kissed him back, and for a moment, he considered making love to her right where they stood. If they waited any longer to reveal themselves to Khenti Michael and the rest of the group, they’d end up with an unhappy audience.

  Gently pushing her back, he sighed. “I would love to ravish your delectable body but we have a lecture coming from our Khenti, among other things. Let’s get some scrubs on you and a pair for me and let the others know how you’re doing. But I promise you this, I have a rain check with your name on it and plan on making you wet.”