Sphinx Transformed (The Sphinx Warriors Series Book 3)

by Christine Murphy

  “You get the group down to Trauma. I’m going to take one of the smaller elevators.” Alexandria rubbed at her neck again and a hiss escaped her. She covered her mouth in surprise.

  “Jenny. Take the group down. I’ll be right behind you.” Warren shouted. Alexandria wanted to tell him even to worry but he gave a look which said he was staying with her.

  As soon as the elevator doors shut, he pulled out a small hand held monitor and scanned her. He shook his head putting the monitor in his pocket. “You appear to be just fine other than the fact your Sphinx is very near the surface. Are you sure you want to dive into this craziness already? What happens if you change into the feline in the middle of all this?”

  Alexandria sighed heavily, “Warren, you all need me. I have to learn how to balance and control the Sphinx in me. I demand it of myself just because I can’t let Turin win with what he did to mewith the changes he caused. I’m going to make what I’ve become a positive thing. My improved genetics is even more sensitive to the Gate and the dark energy. That has to mean something. Right? And if I do change, then I know the feline can do a lot of damage against the Wraith with her teeth and claws.”

  Warren placed a hand on her arm. “Let’s hope you don’t change. Joshua’s going to freak if you end up in the middle of a fight and we’re going to need you more for healing. Save your fury for another day. I would bet you’ll find a way to make Turin pay, but not now. Okay?”

  The Sphinx in Alexandria roared, but she took a deep breath pushing the feline back down.

  “Yes. You’re right. Sometimes all I want is to be able to find the man and kill him for what he did to me, what he planned on me doing to Michael, and all the other crap he’s caused. But it’s selfish of me and you all need me more for my healing than my killing right now.”

  Another surge of dark energy spread throughout the area. She grabbed Warren’s arm pulling him into the next elevator. “We better hurry or we won’t even make it into the Trauma Cell.”

  The whole trip down to the staging cavern seemed to take forever with surges of energy flowing up and through Alexandria. She felt dirty and violated by the darkness and the sensations were worse for her because of the improved sensitivities of her Sphinx.

  “By the Ancients, I feel like I need a shower already,” she whispered right before the doors opened. Shuddering, she wished the doors would close back up, but she needed to learn how to deal. Stiffening her spine, she stepped out into the entryway of the Cavern and forced herself over to the opening.

  Taking a deep breath, she stared straight over to the double doors of the Trauma Cell ignoring the dark vibrating energy coming from the left side of her. Her legs fought her every step of the way, but she forced herself to keep moving forward and was making pretty good progress to the Cell when an unexpected nasty surge of the Gate emanated around her.

  Half way across the Cavern, her muscles locked instantly. Snarling furiously, she turned and squared off with the slowly opening Gate. The wind generated from the imbalance of the pressure in the cave buffeted at her. Every cell in her body was focused on the hated swirling entitya blood red and white circle spinning black hole in space.

  Her Sefu Element which had been silent for so long started to shift and her arm itched from the rush of Life Power. Before she even registered what had happened, she was standing with a deadly black Power Sword in her hand. Holding her Sword up in front of her she looked at the deadly weapon wishing it was still silver like her brother’s Sefu and Joshua’s, but no, Turin had fucked that up for her too. The Sword would be forever black shiny metal with a black crystal center but at least her Power Signature of a silver moon eclipsing a gold sun was still purely hers. And the control, yes, the control of the Sword was hers and if she got the chance she would shove the blade right up Turin’s ass.

  Dropping her arm back into a defensive stance, she snarled again. Alexandria, was ready to attack, ready to fight with her every last breath. She marched forward with the Guardians Elite who even now desperately lined up to ward off the incoming enemy while the Warriors rushed down from the planning room due to the unexpected change in the time line.

  So lost in her own fury, she didn’t hear the calling of her name at first, but then a strong arm encircled her and pulled her away from the beginnings of the battle. She growled at the person who denied her the goal of tearing the Wraith from limb to limb. An amused chuckle flowed down the Joined connection and Joshua’s thoughts brought her back from her crazed fury.

  My Alexandria, you’re quite the little furious feline. We all know how you feel my love, but I need you to be safe and help us on the healing side. I won’t be able to concentrate, making this more dangerous for everyone if you stay out here. Please, Lexi. He kissed her neck and sat her firmly down in front of the Trauma Cell.

  A high-pitched screech cut through the air and Alexandria looked back seeing the gray-skinned, clawed sons of bitches who had tortured her at every turn at Turin’s command. The battle had begun in earnest. Baring her teeth, she hissed at the sight but Joshua grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. It was clear he was upset and the fact she was the cause was like cold water being thrown at her.

  Snapping out of her fixation with killing Wraith, she reflexed her Sefu back into its bracelet form. “I’m sorry Joshua. Go fight. Be careful. I’ll be waiting here for you.” She grabbed him kissing him with the force of energy she still felt swirling within her. He kissed her brushing his Power through her one more time before diving into the fight and then spun her around pushing her through the doors. With finality, he closed them behind her. As the doors closed, Alexandria felt her connection narrow to almost nothing. She realized Joshua must have thought it was going to be one of the worst battles ever if he was shutting her out.

  Everyone in the trauma cell stopped and just stared at her.

  “Umm. Yeah. Sorry about that. What do you need me to do?” She was happy to hear her voice was back to normal and without any more snarls or growls emerging.

  The medical team jumped back to work and Jenny ran over to her and grabbed her.

  “Come on. We’re getting scrubbed up. I’m sure it won’t be long before the first injuries start rolling in.”

  Jenny wasn’t wrong in her prediction either. Right on cue, Guardian Arik and Caleb dragged in an injured Guardian Elite. The man’s chest was torn open, blood pouring in clotted pools all over the floor. He was already gray and Alexandria couldn’t detect if the man was breathing or not.

  “Arik, get him over here now.” Alexandria called. They brought the unconscious man over hefting him up on the surgical table. Everyone tackled the process of trying to stop the bleeding, starting IVs, and gathering supplies to stitch him back up. After only a few minutes Alexandria waved them off.

  Frustration already kicking in, she cried. “Stop! That’s not going to work for him. He’s too damaged.” She looked at Arik for a moment and saw the grief in the man’s eyes. Every loss of his Guardians dug another blade into his heart. “I guess there’s only one way to save him. We’ll have to see how much of my abilities are back.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Praying to the Ancients, Alexandria placed her hands on the man. Blood and tissue stuck to her bare hands but skin-to-skin contact was the only way she could connect with the patient’s energy. Closing her eyes, she opened her abilities and set free her Power. The rush was instantaneous and she could see how much damage the Wraith had done. Fury spun up in her again and it took her a moment to calm while she talked herself through fury. Breathe Alexandria. This man needs you.

  The pep talk worked her back down and she began to examine the broken energy and tissue within the man. Muscle, cartilage, bone, arteries, everything was ripped to hell. She was going to need a lot of Life Power for this one, if she could even draw enough for all the damage she needed to repair. Focusing deeper still, she found his barely beating heart and surrounded it with her healing energy keeping the muscle beating and feedin
g the needed oxygen.

  At the same time, she called to the Life Power and the energy responded for the first time in ages now that she was fully healed. Immediately the energy flowed to her, coming from the walls, the floor, the living, the inanimate. Faster and faster, it flowed until her skin glowed with the Power and then her body changed the energy into a healing Power that quickly spun through the young Guardian’s body. His heart beat stronger, the tissue mended, his blood reformed, the color came back to his skin, and the horrendous gouges closed until his chest was almost perfect. Only pink scars remained on his chest. The only indication he had been mauled during the battle. Finally, his eyes fluttered open.

  Even with all of the healing, the Guardian still grimaced and grabbed at his chest. Alexandria stepped back leaning against a stool and Arik grabbed at her arm steadying her. She looked up at him and said, “He’ll still need pain meds, fluids, and rest. I’ve done all I can do.”

  Arik squeezed her arm. “I don’t know how to thank you. We’ve lost so many. It’s good to have you back.”

  “It’s good to be back.” In the back of her mind was the ever present knowledge she would have to return to the other side of the Gate.

  Arik and the other Guardian Elite left and returned to the battle shortly after they were sure the injured Guardian was going to survive. Alexandria continued with the healings and the patching using her conventional medical skills. One after another came into the Trauma Cell. Gouged, stabbed, clawed, bitten, all of the injuries became a blur before her eyes after a while. Even one of the Warriors, Ethan, who had intervened to save Michael, had been grabbed by one of the Wraith. He had made it out of the confrontation alive but his Power had been dangerously ripped from him. Jacob had brought him in and Michael had followed up by commanding the women to stay in the Trauma Cell because the battle was getting to a higher danger level then they had experienced before.

  Eleina sulked after being restricted, but Stormy helped stabilize Ethan. Even after Alexandria recommended Ethan stay in the Cell to finish recovering, he refused, as she knew he would, and he staggered back out into the chaos. Alexandria worked through all of the never-ending injuries, wearing herself out and constantly reaching out to check on Joshua. Always, he reached back for a moment, reassuring her. All she knew was the nightmare just wouldn’t end and she needed to touch Joshua to make sure he really was okay and to be held by him.

  Day turned into early evening and evening turned into night. Finally, around daybreak, the Gate snapped closed with a final thunder and the last of the Wraith were dispatched back to hell. Shakily, Alexandria sat on an empty stool feeling just as haggard as everyone else looked. Too many of the cots were taken up by injured Guardians Elite and at least two of the Warriors needed to be on bed rest for a day or two, but she knew they wouldn’t. Not with the Gate probably opening again tonight.

  Rubbing a hand across her eyes, she felt a deep despair. She had no choice but to go through with her plan immediately. She knew in her gut that Turin had created at least one creature which could open the Gate at his commandthe same way she had been able to and hopefully still could. Turin had to have used her genetic makeup to create something with her ability, which meant there would be no more rest for any of themunless she took her anti-gene to the other side to destroy the altered Wraith and she tried to retrieve the Fifth Page of the Seven. She swallowed, fear crushing down on her. If she did this, there would be a high possibility she would die. If she didn’t go to the other side, then it was probable they would lose the war and die anyway.

  Joshua suddenly appeared before her, pulling her to her feet and drawing her deep into his embrace. His Power was low and he was shaking but his hold was strong and the grip he had on her felt like he would never let her go again. He brushed his fingers through her hair and kissed her with a need she reflected right back. When he reached through their Joined Link to be even closer to her, she gathered as much Life Power she could in her tired state and pushed into his weakened system making sure it didn’t turn dionic. He breathed a big sigh of relief and she smiled against his lips. Still even with his Life Power level closer to normal he had to break the kiss when a huge yawn hit him.

  “I need to lie down or fall down as soon as Michael has his after action. Everyone’s going to gather in here. The clean-up crew is going to end up taking all day to clean up the gore out there. Even your doc eyes would be traumatized.” Joshua continued to run his hands through her hair, over her arms, and kiss her while they waited for the meeting. He might have been worried about her being traumatized but she could tell he was haunted by what he had just gone through.

  Even tired, Joshua jumped about a foot when Michael bellowed, “Everybody in the Trauma Cell now, damn it!” Alexandria had to hold on tight when Joshua pulled her farther into the room with such speed her balance was thrown off.

  It didn’t take long and the Trauma Cell was packed to the eaves with battle weary men and women. A sound of cursing and shouts of Warrior coordination echoed off the walls of the staging cavern and into the cell but was abruptly cut-off with the slam of the double doors.

  Raven glanced up barring anyone from leaving. “We have an unexpected last minute problem. Right before the Gate closed, Turin evidently rolled out a couple of explosive devices which didn’t work as he had planned. Luckily they didn’t go off and Ethan pretty much has them neutralized.”

  Stormy yelled, “What do you mean almost has them neutralized? Is Michael insane? I should be out there so I can put up a shield in case they do go off?” Alexandria watched as Stormy took a deep breath to continue her tirade, but before she could go on, one of the doors opened up and Michael and Ethan walked back in.”

  Khenti Michael was obviously wound up too but Alexandria was relieved to see he was unharmed. He took a deep calming breath and updated the group, “The explosives have been disarmed but it appears they were more of a distraction than anything. Hunter spotted a Wraith on the outer periphery of the cave, or at least what he thought was a Wraith. The creature was overlooked initially because it had more humanoid features than normal and was covered up pretty good.” Michael glanced over to Alexandria, “The only things giving the Wraith away were the gray color of its skin and the black eyes. So it looks like Turin’s been creative with the genetic altering again.”

  He paused for a moment running his hand over his face and then continued, “Jacob’s out tracking the thing right now in the complex, so I ask all of you to make haste and go straight to your quarters. Those areas should be secure since anyone going there has to have clearance. For the Warriors and Guardian Arik, we’ll meet up in the planning room in about five hours. Sorry about the short rest period, but I suspect we’ll be back at this again tonight.”

  Alexandria felt the final nail hammered into her coffin. Her fate was sealed by the verification of the altered Wraith and the fact the Warriors and Elite really couldn’t take another round of fighting like this one. She rested her head against Joshua and just listened to his heartbeata heart that would cease to beat without her if she didn’t succeed in her fated mission. Joshua’s arms tightened around her. He would be able to feel her disquiet through their Link but she kept the connection narrowed down far enough so he wouldn’t perceive her plan. She hoped he would see the action as exhaustion on her part and not as her pushing him away, but it couldn’t be helped.

  Quickly the room emptied. Those uninjured or ambulatory went to their rooms. Those who couldn’t were quickly moved by the medical staff upstairs to the medical clinic. The last to leave were the Warriors, single or arm in arm with their Power Mate. Joshua pulled her along with him not letting up on his contact with her even a mere inch. She needed to speak with Raven but it wasn’t to be at that point, so when they passed by him, Alexandria cast him a look. He would know what her stare meant. She would need him later even if he didn’t want any part of what she planned. The rest of the way back to their quarters was uneventful and in silence. Even when they were ins
ide their haven, the silence continued.

  Joshua disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes cleansing the blood and gore from his body. Alexandria knew he hated to expose her to the evidence of the violence he had to go through, but she had lived it first hand in Turin’s clutches. Now she had to go back into that world and perhaps never come back.

  Looking down at herself, she realized she looked almost as bad with blood on her clothes from trying to save men taken down by the Wraith. Her entire body began to shake and she had to sit down quickly in one of the brown leather chairs at the side of the bed. She covered her face blocking out the sight of her bloodied clothes and rocked back and forth just trying to make all of the thoughts spinning in her head stop.

  Once again, Joshua was there for her. Still wet and dripping from his shower, he showed up like her own personal savior and pulled her up and into his arms. His hands felt so good running over her back and through her hair. Sobbing, she wrapped her arms around him and held on for dear life. She didn’t want to leave him, didn’t want to go back to the Drake Dimension.

  Shifting her to his side, he led her into the bathroom, constantly keeping contact with her. Even he seemed to need the physical connection. She vaguely noted the shower was still on and realized Joshua planned on bathing her when he kneeled down before her and started to remove her boots. First one, then the other, he gently removed from her tired feet. With the boots out of the way, Joshua reached up from his kneeling position and unhooked her belt buckle. He loosened her fatigue pants and then slid them and her underwear off her hips. Standing, he grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt pulling it up and over her head. The t-shirt was tossed and his nimble fingers removed her bra adding the black fabric to the top of the pile.

  Joshua glanced down at her nude body and Alexandria actually blushed. Every time he looked at her with that adoring expression in his eyes, she felt like a young schoolgirl again. He entwined his fingers with hers and brought her knuckles to his mouth brushing a kiss across them. Pulling her across the tan tiled floor, he helped her into the glass walled shower. The warm water instantly loosened her muscles and what tension remained Joshua worked out with the soap-filled washcloth. His touch was magic and he knew just how to touch every inch of her.