Missing her friends already, Alexandria watched them walk out of the clinic arm-in-arm, comforting each other. When the door shut behind them, she removed her lab coat, setting it on the counter and thinking this might be the last time she ever wore it and practiced as a healer to the Sphinx. Wiping a tear from her eye, she stood staring over all of her equipment she loved to use to help cure those injured and sick. Deep in her heart, she prayed the Ancients would be willing to let her succeed in becoming a Sphinx again, if nothing else for Joshua. Joshua who would perish without her healing touch.
Nearly jumping out of her skin when Warren touched her back, Alexandria spun around facing him. He focused on her with his own intense stare.
In a voice which revealed none of his inner thoughts, he said, “You’re going to test the latest batch on yourself, aren’t you?”
She knew lying to Warren was a waste of time. The man could ferret out a lie like nobody.
“Yes. Yes, I am.” Sighing heavily, she paced away from him rubbing her hands over her suddenly chilled arms.
She stopped and faced him head on. “Warren, please understand, time’s up. The suppressant isn’t working and Elder Chloe is right, we need to get the Fifth page. Only I can do that. I’m continuing to weaken, so if I don’t take the anti-gene now it may be too late. Then what will Joshua do. I know I could die. A good probability, I will die.”
With a bit of a sarcasm she finished, “If you have another suggestion, I promise, I’m all ears.”
Warren ran his good hand through his dark tangled hair. “I’m sorry Alexandria. I just don’t have anything. I wish I did. No matter what happens, I’ll be here for you.”
If she could have, she would have hugged him, but she could feel the Wraith begin to stir from the suppression.
“We don’t have much time. I want to go to my room and clean up before we try the anti-gene. If I’m going to die here, I want to at least be clean.”
“Always the doc, concerned about others to the very end. Come on.”
He held out his hand giving her the lead, and Alexandria tiredly trudged to her room. Warren shadowed her the entire way, giving her access to the elevator and the Warriors’ master quarters once they reached the fifth floor.
Alexandria emotionally couldn’t take entering Joshua’s rooms, so entered her own. Warren remained out in the hallway and she figured he was giving her some personal space and time alone since it might be her last. Closing the door, she quickly grabbed a spare black set of Warrior styled fatigues and moved across her bedroom away from the blinding colors she still couldn’t take with her Wraith altered eyes. Once inside the bathroom, her eyes no longer stung since she had decorated the bathroom in soft shades of blue. Once she had enjoyed the color reminding of her of the ocean, but now it was just another reminder of what she could very possibly lose.
Cranking on the water, she undressed while she waited for the temperature to warm up. Her muscles were tense and a nice steamy level to relax her muscles for a few quick moments was just what she needed. She didn’t have to wait long for the hot water which was good since her hour was dwindling rapidly. Stepping into the shower stall big enough for two, she untangled her long mane of hair and leaned back into the pulsating jets of steamy water. The pressure hitting her head and back, the heat, and the sound of the water temporarily relaxed her mind, letting her forget what she had to do.
The avoidance of reality didn’t last long though with a renewed twitching of her muscles. The damn Wraith wasn’t wasting any time coming back. Speeding up the process, she washed her hair and body and rinsed off in record time. Turning off the water, Alexandria grabbed a matching light blue towel and dried off as much as possible. She really didn’t have time to dry her hair so she twisted the thick length up to the nape of her neck securing it with a hair clasp.
She pulled on the fresh pair of black military fatigue pants, t-shirt, and then sat down on a silver cushioned stool at the vanity to pull on her socks and boots. To others it might seem a bit morose, but she didn’t bother with underwear because she figured she would either be stripped down for the intensive critical care unit if she survived or for the ritual cleansing and ceremony if she didn’t make it.
Turning to the mirror, she looked into the reflective surface one more time at her image. She had become pale and gaunt over the past few days. Thin with the lack of keeping food down. It was no wonder she had no energy; she looked like she had already died. Successful or not, she would be in a better place.
Alexandria stood up stiffening her spine and blanking her mind. There was no turning back. With every intention of getting to medical as soon as possible, she headed for her outer chambers. The last person she expected to see standing in her room was there blocking her way. Her Joshua, with all his masculine breathtaking handsomeness and an expression of such loneliness it tore a jagged line right through her heart.
Stopping in her tracks, the breath left her, and she put a hand over her mouth capturing the sob which would have escaped. Her entire body shook, not just from the demanding Wraith swiftly overtaking her, but the torrential emotions ripping her up inside.
“Joshua,” she whispered in agony.
“Lexi.” Joshua tried to move to her, but she panicked and backed away from him holding up a hand. He stopped his forward progress looking for all the world like a man with his heart torn out.
“Don’t do this, Lexi. Don’t push me away. I’m not afraid of the Wraith and know you weren’t the one to hurt me.”
He tried to lighten the mood. “Besides I heal quickly. See?” He pulled down his collar enough so she could see his shoulder.
Alexandria choked back another sob when she saw the tiny silver scars from the claiming bites on his shoulder. Damn it, she hadn’t even really claimed him, the Wraith had. The creature had even taken an archaic practice from her forcing it on Joshua. Joshua who had protected her forever and she had given him nothing. The violent emotions were too much for her. She shook her head in denial and tried to move around him and escape the room.
Joshua instantly blocked her and held out his hand. “Damn it, woman. You know how much I love you. I know how much you love me. We can get through this.”
When she didn’t answer him, he dropped his hand and quietly said, “If you still love me. I know we’ve been through a lot, and even if you are cured, you’ll have to deal with my constant need of healing, but…if you don’t want me anymore, then you can just let me die from the dionic weakness.”
She gasped in shock. “No! You don’t understand. This has nothing to do with your preconceived idea that you‘re broken and not worthy. You’re the most worthy and strong Sphinx here and you know this. You’re Michael’s second, a skilled Warrior and weapon’s expert, not to mention you have stood by my side through the ages looking after me in my weakness.”
Tears flowed freely down her cheeks now and she refused to give in and wipe them away.
“Joshua, don’t you understand, I love you more than anything. But unless I can destroy the Wraith inside of me and the abominations Turin has made, there’ll be no life for you and me. Not for us, not for the other Warriors, and not for their Power Mates. I will turn and become truly one of them and they’ll destroy the Sphinx and this wonderful planet.”
Joshua stood before her, his hands in fists while he appeared to struggle to hold himself back from her. She knew he wouldn’t be able to resist much longer. Every muscle in his body was tensed while he forced himself to remain still. Even though he couldn’t physically touch her, Alexandria felt him trying to connect to her through their shared Link. She couldn’t let him do that not only because he would know the truth of what she was going to do, but she would shut down if his raging emotions touched hers.
When she kept him shut out, he finally growled deep and low and made a move toward her. Alexandria had been expecting his need to touch her and tapped into the portion of the Wraith genetics which gave her strength and speed. Quicker than lightening,
she spun away from him, hit the bed running, launched into the air flipping, and landed behind him. With no time to spare, she slammed through her own doors leaving them in splinters on the hinges. She didn’t stop to see if Joshua pursued her, hoping Warren would find a way to stop him. How, she didn’t know in his damaged state. Hitting the top of the stairs, she bounded down them two at a time.
Luck or the gift of the Ancients gave her the presence of Raven coming up the stairs. Time seemed to slow down for just a moment and as she streaked by him she grabbed his hand and stared directly into his light blue eyes and opened her mind to him. She prayed it was enough to show the Truth Finder in him what she had to do. Letting go of him, time spun up. She shot through the doors and out of the Warriors' quarters.
Having no choice, she had to stop at the elevators and waited, shaking from head to toe, and hoping she could grab someone and convince them to take her to medical. In her current state, the convincing would be easy since they would think she was succumbing to the beast inside.
Before the doors she had just burst through completely closed, she saw Raven tackle Joshua to the floor and the flurry of punches and curses that resulted. She hoped Joshua would forgive her for her machinations, but in the scheme of her life right now it really didn’t matter.
Jumping a foot when one of the doors swung back open, she was relieved when Warren came through the door. He skid to a stop next to her and punched the elevator button in with his thumb. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he grabbed her and pushed her in before him. He hit the control panel and the doors closed but the elevator didn’t move.
Warren glared up at the surveillance camera in the corner of the elevator. “Ethan, don’t mess with this. You owe me and I’ll explain later. Just know if I don’t get Alexandria to medical now, she won’t be with us tomorrow.”
The elevator started moving. Alexandria’s heart resumed a normal beat from the relief. Warren was probably right, if not tomorrow, then soon, the part which was truly her wouldn’t be around much longer anyway.
Softly she said, “Thank you, Warren.”
He looked down at her. “Don’t thank me. Just make it through this anti-gene treatment and that will be the best thank-you you can give me.”
Once the elevator doors opened, they both sprinted down the hallway. Crashing through the clinic doors, Warren shouted, “Everyone out now!”
The changes in her eyes and beginnings of Wraith shrieks coming from Alexandria was enough to scatter anyone even considering staying. With everyone out of her way, she made a beeline for the lab bench and grabbed the special syringe gun and the anti-gene vial. Her hands were shaking so badly, she couldn’t get the gun loaded. Her eyes wouldn’t focus and she panicked feeling the Wraith sweeping over what was left of her consciousness.
“Let me have it, Alexandria.” Warren took the syringe gun and anti-gene from her and loaded the vial with a swift click. “I’ll inject you, but I’d appreciate it if you held on long enough so I don’t end up decorated with your claws like Guardian Arik.”
Alexandria hissed at him but held the Wraith back for the moment. She grabbed the edge of the counter and nodded her readiness. Keeping plenty of arm distance, he quickly pressed the syringe gun to the side of her neck and pressed the trigger. She heard a hiss and then a quick sting.
The memory and panic made her swing out and knock Warren away. Spinning to try and make sure she hadn’t really harmed him, she vaguely registered he was on the ground but getting up unscathed.
The effects of the anti-gene didn’t take long. Her head began to pound and then every inch of her body felt like razor sharp glass penetrated each and every cell. Before her screams started, she vaguely wondered if this was what Stormy had felt during her genetic Transformation. Every bone and muscle stretched and popped from the genetic breakdown, and she hit the ground when her body could no longer support her.
Her screaming went from the Wraith screeching to her voice and back again and between the two voices, she could hear a growling and hissing right before she faded. Finally, it was all too much for her and darkness started to take over. She lost control and with one final scream reached out to Joshua through their shared Link. Joshua!!!
Chapter Eleven
Alexandria!!! Joshua tried to find her through the now wide open Link, but all he was encountering was a violent swirling energy. An energy consisting of a combination of extreme darkness and extreme light. What terrorized him the most was he couldn’t detect her Life Force at all. He snarled with impatience at the elevator and slammed his fist into the door putting a satisfying dent in it. If anything happened to his Lexi because of Raven’s meddling delaying him, he would finish breaking the rest of his bones. The satisfying crack of his jaw wouldn’t be the end of it.
As soon as he arrived on the medical floor and the elevator doors started to open, he reached between them and slammed them the rest of the way open with brute force. A sparking and electrical hum was left behind as he sprinted down the hallways to medical. Yeah, Michael would make him pay for damaging equipment but he didn’t care. He only cared about Alexandria and getting to her. He could barely breathe to run with the way his heart still pounded with outright panic from the agonized scream she had sent to him through their shared connection.
Shoving the clinic doors out of his way, he stopped just inside the door, his eyes rapidly scanning to find Alexandria and the threat to her. When he finally found her on the floor next to the lab bench, the site of her truly scared the living hell out of him.
“No!” he shouted and ran towards her.
“Joshua stop! You’ll kill her!” Warren shouted at him blocking his way. “Listen to me, Joshua. I know you want to go to her, but she’s in phase and any contact will be the end of her.”
Shaking badly, Joshua approached Alexandria carefully. He kneeled down on the floor as close as he could without being a danger to her.
“What the fuck.” His eyes couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing.
Alexandria was there, but not there. Her body shifted from a half humanoid, half Wraith form, to her normal form, and then to the form of a large Sphinx feline. During the entire shifting, her body glittered and glowed with golden and rainbow streams of energy. Underneath the energy, her skin mutated back and forth, lines of blood forming where she dug her nails into her skin and then disappearing in a rapid healing process. Even the Collar around her neck from the excess energy overloaded and exploded. The black stones shattered and scattered across the floor like tiny sharp daggers.
Joshua jumped back avoiding the glittering shards, praying the sharp debris hadn’t caused Alexandria more damage. He couldn’t take much more of not being able to do anything for her and snapped at Warren.
“Can’t you fucking cover her up? She doesn’t need to be seen by every male in the area.”
When she violently thrashed on the floor and changed again, he freaked. His energy level shot up and his Power started to glow around him.
“What the hell is happening to her?”
Warren reached for him but stopped. Joshua had no doubt it was the heated glare he was giving him or maybe his agitated Power.
“Joshua, listen to me. You can’t touch her with anything including your Life Power. You’ll kill her.”
Taking a deep breath, Joshua forced his Power to recede down to a lower level. Warren appeared to take a deep breath as well.
“I couldn’t cover her because of the same reason. I’m sorry. Give me a break. And to answer your question, the phasing is caused by her Life Power and the different genetic changes occurring in her.”
Before Warren could react, Joshua reached out grabbing him by the shirt and dragging him up into a standing position with him. He wanted to shake the man in his fear and frustration but managed to control himself. The situation was bad enough without injuring the one medical technician who might be able to help Alexandria.
“Why the fuck did you inject her with whatever concoction sh
e was working on? You knew damn well it would kill her.”
Joshua cooled down a bit when Warren tried to defend himself with his one good arm. He realized he was harassing a man who couldn’t even fully fight back. He loosened his grip slightly and Warren jerked away.
“You asshole,” Warren bit out at him. “She was going to do it anyway. I stepped in so I could monitor her and now you’re interfering with that. “
Squatting back down, Joshua inched a bit closer. Every cell in him needed to reach out and touch her. Not being able to was slowly killing him. What if she didn’t recover and he never got to hold his Lexi? Never got to see her smiling courageous deep blue eyes? Never got to run his hands through her long midnight black hair? Most of all, never got to Join with her in a life-long connection and bask in the love and essence that was purely her?
“I’m sorry.” He growled. “Talk to me.”
Sighing roughly, Warren squatted down next to him. Taking a small medical monitor out of his coat pocket, he held the device as close to Alexandria as he could. Joshua watched him tap on the screen for a moment and then draw the device back so he could read it.
“Alexandria knew she didn’t have much time so worked night and day to perfect the anti-gene. Even when she was completed with it, she knew there was something missing, but she didn’t have time to figure that out. From what I’m seeing here, the missing ingredient was the Life Power linked to her Life Force. Her genetics are phasing back and forth trying to find stability while the Wraith genetics are being stripped and destroyed. Her Life Power is purifying her system of the dead Wraith genes and healing her at the same time.”
“But?” Joshua asked hearing the undertones of Warren’s concern.
Warren glanced at the monitor one more time. “Even though her genetics are stabilizing, there has been a change. I would have to do more testing to figure what the change is, but the Sphinx genes appear to have stabilized even stronger than what is normally within a modern day Sphinx. It appears genetically she has reversed into a purer form of Sphinx from ancient times.”
Sphinx Transformed (The Sphinx Warriors Series Book 3) Page 19
