A Warrior's Second Chance (Faye and Alexander) novel Chapter 472

Chapter 472

FAYE

I walked into Janet’s chambers with my shoulders slightly tighter than I wanted them to be.

I wasn’t afraid of her.

I was aware of the negative energy around her…I could feel it.

The room itself didn’t feel threatening in any obvious way. That was what made it worse. It was too composed. It looked like a regular healer’s chamber.

Janet was seated when I entered.

Waiting.

Not in a rushed way. Not like someone expecting a visitor.

More like someone watching a piece of a plan arrive exactly on time.

Or maybe it was just in my head.

Her eyes lifted to me slowly.

And I felt it immediately–that subtle pressure people like her had.

Not physical.

She saw more than she needed to.

“What brought you all this way?” she asked gently.

I kept my expression neutral.

“I was told you could help me,” I replied.

My voice sounded steady.

That was important.

す

Janet’s gaze stayed on me for a moment longer than necessary, as though she was reading something behind the words instead of listening to them.

Then she nodded slightly.

“You don’t need to be afraid,” she said calmly.

I almost smiled at that.

Afraid wasn’t the word I would have used.

Aware was still more accurate.

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But I didn’t correct her.

Instead, I took a slow step forward.

Janet gestured toward the chair across from her.

“Sit,” she said softly.

I did.

Once I sat down, she studied me again–longer this time.

Then she asked, “Why exactly have you come here, Faye?”

It was phrased like a question.

But it wasn’t one.

It was an opening.

A script beginning.

I understood that immediately.

So I played along.

“I was told Stonevale could help me,” I said carefully. “That someone here understands what this is.”

I shifted my sleeve slightly as I spoke.

Just enough for her to notice the mark on my wrist if she was looking for it.

And I knew she was.

Janet’s eyes flickered down briefly.

Just once.

Satisfied.

“You’ve done well to follow it here,” she said.

Her tone was warm.

Like reassurance layered over something sharper.

“You are not here by coincidence,” she continued “The mark you carry is not random. It is a sign

I kept my face still.

Even though i already knew where this was going.

Janet leaned back slightly.

“The symbol of Stonevale didn’t appear without reason,” she said “It is a direction

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didn’t react.

But I listened.

Janet continued, “The goddess has favored you.”

That made something almost laughable rise in my chest.

Favored.

That was one word for it.

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“She has guided you here,” Janet said, her voice steady. “To the place where you will find what you need.”

“And what I need is healing,” I said evenly.

“Yes,” Janet replied simply.

There was no hesitation in her agreement.

She made everything sound simple enough to believe.

Even when it wasn’t.

I tilted my head slightly.

“How much does the treatment cost?”

I watched her carefully when I said it.

That was where most lies revealed themselves–at the point of value.

Janet didn’t even blink.

She was good at this.

“I do not deal in currency,” she said.

I raised a brow slightly.

“Oh?”

She nodded once.

“My gift is not something I sell,” she explained. “It is something I answer to

I almost smiled again.

Answer to.

How convenient.

Janet’s expression remained calm.

“My reward comes from the goddess herself,” she added

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nodded slowly, as if I understood.

As if I believed.

“I see,” I said.

And I did.

Just not in the way she meant.

Silence settled briefly between us.

Then I leaned forward slightly.

“Before I agree to anything,” I said carefully, “I want to understand what the procedure is.”

Janet studied me again.

This time more deliberately.

Like she was deciding how much truth I needed at this stage.

Finally, she spoke.

“It is not complicated,” she said. “But it is not something every body accepts easily.”

That phrasing alone told me everything I needed to know.

I kept my voice steady.

“What does it involve?”

Janet folded her hands together.

“Blood,” she said at last.

One word.

I let my expression shift just slightly.

Just enough curiosity.

“How much?” I asked.

Janet watched me carefully.

“Enough,” she said

That wasn’t an answer

It was a boundary being avoided

I leaned back slowly.

“Is there no other way?” I asked

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Janet didn’t respond immediately.

That pause mattered.

Because it meant there was an answer she was choosing not to say directly.

When she finally spoke, her tone remained calm.

“You were guided here for a reason,” she said. “The mark on you is not decorative. It is directive

I held her gaze.

“And survival?” I asked softly.

Janet’s expression softened just slightly.

“If you trust the process,” she said, “you will be healed.”

Not you will live.

Not you will be safe.

Healed.

That word carried too many layers.

Too many possibilities.

I nodded slowly, letting the silence stretch again.

Inside my chest, everything stayed still.

That was the part I had prepared for.

Not reacting too early, not reacting too obviously.

Just absorbing.

Janet stood slowly now.

“I will prepare what is needed,” she said.

I remained seated.

“I understand,” I replied.

She turned slightly toward the side of the room, then paused

“One more thing,” she added

I looked up

Her gaze settled on me again

“You must not resist what comes next,” she said gently

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I met her eyes.

And nodded once.

“Of course,” I said

Because that was the point

I wasn’t here to resist anything.

was here to let it happen.

On purpose.

Janet studied me for a final moment, then gave a small, satisfied nod.

“Good,” she said.

And just like that, she turned away.

Leaving me sitting there.

Waiting.

Exactly how she wanted me.

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