A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 2

FAYE

I didn’t go straight to find Jason like I planned. I went to the training grounds to check if Sage was back.

As I got closer, I noticed a man standing in the middle of the training grounds. The way he moved caught my attention immediately.

He was practicing with a longsword. Each swing showed how good he was with it. For a second, I just stood there and watched.

There was something in the way he moved. Like he didn’t just train for discipline. Like it was as natural as breathing to him. He looked dangerous and powerful.

As if sensing my eyes on him, he stopped mid-swing and turned.

Storm-gray eyes locked onto mine, and that was when I realized it was the same man from earlier, the same one I’d caught sight of from the training ground. Up close, he was even more imposing, tall, and broad-shouldered, with his hair still damp, as if he just stepped out of the shower.

I stiffened, pulling my gaze back to his face.

“Didn’t know anyone else trained this late,” I said, my voice coming out softer than I meant.

He lowered the sword slightly, but didn’t look away.

“And yet you still decided to watch,” he said in a deep and calm voice that sounded almost amused. Almost.

“I wasn’t watching,” I shot back, folding my arms across my chest. “Just passing by.”

One dark eyebrow lifted. “Is that so?”

He took a slow step closer, still holding the sword loosely at his side.

“You have a strange way of ‘passing by.’”

My pulse kicked up, but I refused to step back.

“It’s a free field,” I said, lifting my chin. “Or do you think it belongs to you?”

His gaze flickered over me for a moment. “Do you always talk to strangers like this?” he asked in a low voice.

“Only when they act like they own the ground they stand on,” I shot back.

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“And what would you do if I did?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Challenge you to prove it.”

His smirk faded, replaced by something darker, interest, maybe, or surprise.

For a moment we just stood there, facing each other.

Then he moved closer, close enough that I caught his scent. “Tell me,” he murmured, his voice a much softer voice, “Do you always speak first, or do you fight first?”

My heart beat faster, but I kept my voice steady. “Depends,” I said. “Are you worth the effort?”

His eyes narrowed slightly, but the corner of his mouth curved again.

“Bold,” he murmured. “Most people hesitate.”

“I’m not most people,” I said, my words sharper than I intended.

For a moment, neither of us spoke, just continue to stare at each other. Somewhere deep inside, Nova stirred, silently watching him too.

“I’m not here to be good,” I said, without even knowing why.

“I can see that,” he replied quietly.

A beat of silence passed, then he turned the sword in his hand, letting the blade catch the moonlight.

“Next time,” he said in a low voice. “if you want to watch, step closer. You’ll see better.”

Heat rose to my face, from anger or something else, I couldn’t tell.

“I wasn’t watching,” I snapped.

He didn’t argue. He just dipped his head slightly, as if in mock respect.

“Then maybe next time, you won’t stop at the edge of the field.”

Before I could find a reply, he stepped back, turning away as smoothly as he’d first turned to me.

He lifted the sword again, his focus already shifting away, like I was nothing more than a passing moment.

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