Beautiful Demon

Fourty-seven

                            Third Person POV

"He's a stubborn bastard, I'll give him that." Malachi says standing just behind Kayleigh watching the Trikova over her shoulder.

Kayleigh stood leaned against the arch of the doorway silently watching. He knew she was there watching him, just as she knew that he knew- and yet a word had yet to be spoken between them. So the game of silence continued between them. Asher was keenly aware of her presence but it didn't stop the fluid motions of stretching. Kayleigh watched as the muscles in his back, how they pulled taunt before rippling into a more relaxed state. He moved flawlessly, silently, if she hadn't been watching she'd never know he was out of bed- his rhythmic breathing stayed even, deep, slow.

"Raven is going to ask that I have you chained to the bed the moment she sees you out of it." Kayleigh rasps out ignoring the words coming from the other. "You should still be resting."

"Stubborn like Onian." he says eyes flickering with down to Kayleigh to see her still staring at Asher unmoving.

He doesn't falter at the scratchiness of her voice, just continues moving into a squatted position, stretching his arms out in front of him. Again Kayleigh watched his movements, eyes his chest closing listening to his breathing. She was listening for a change in rhythm, a hitch in the way he inhaled, and found nothing. Even the bandages on his chest remained blood free.

"That stubbornness is what got him killed."

"Is this how it is to be between us now?" Kayleigh questions from her position at the door way after more silence stretched between them. "We-you- train, you protect me, protect my children, without a word being spoken?"

Her words were empty- spoken with no affection, no anger, no despair. Just hollowed words echoing from a ghost of the person he used to know.

"You believe I'm making a mistake.. Think I'm walking into this with my eyes closed." she states still watching him. "My eyes are wide open." She rasps as her lips begin to curl into a snarl. "I know what he is.." she continues as she pushes herself away from the doorway and begins circling him- but keeping a fair distance.

It wasn't that she was afraid of Asher- she wasn't. She knew because of oaths taken he would never harm her- he couldn't. It would go against everything ingrained into his very being. No she wasn't afraid of him- but she was afraid of herself.

She was so tired of those around her- those who should've known her better than anyone constantly questioning her every decision. They were treating her as if her mind had broken.

"I know who he is." She continues circling him. "I am not naive, I am not under some spell, and my mind is not broken."

"I've seen the hell he once created on earth, seen the way he disposed of those who went against him.. it's what I wanted too when I felt like the world had taken everything important from me.. My parents. Lincoln..Neeva...Obsidian...Lexa.... When I thought I was going to loose Apollo.. when I lost you." She lists. "I see everything.."

"If you see everything then you would know what mistake you are making.." he finally acknowledges her, stopping the sequence of stretches he was doing, "know that for all your talks of wanting peace- creating peace and crushing the wheel that's been turning for far too long- you're reincarnating the past."

"Darkness teaches us about power and strength. Light teaches us about humanity and love." She recited matter or factly. "His past was filled with a primal darkness- there was no room for even a glimmer of light." He stares back at her with his emotion less gaze. She lets out a small sigh as she closes the distance between them. "There will be light." She rasps to him, "I know what the future could hold."