Fallon's sobs had faded, but the aftermath still shuddered through her chest in uneven waves. She sat with her back against the cold stone wall, her knees drawn up, her face half-hidden. The fire crackled softly between them.

Justice stood up abruptly. He began to pace back and forth by the fire pit, his heavy footsteps making the ground vibrate. A low, frustrated growl rumbled in his chest, but beneath it, there was a frantic panic. He looked at her tear-streaked face like it was a puzzle he couldn't solve. His hands twitched at his sides.

"Don't... don't cry," he stammered, his voice tight and incredibly awkward. "Crying is... not good. You are... you are a female. Females should not..." He trailed off, grimacing as if he knew he was making it worse.

The word hit Fallon like a slap. Female. Not woman. Not lady. Female. Like she was a specimen. He had said it right to her face.

She snapped her head up, her eyes red and puffy. "My name is Fallon! Not 'female'! Fallon!"

Beep.

A flat, mechanical voice suddenly exploded inside her skull. Fallon's blood ran cold. The sound hadn't echoed off the stone walls; it had reverberated directly behind her eyes. It was inside her head.

[Critical emotional threshold detected in host.]

Fallon yelped, jumping back. She looked around the cave wildly, her heart hammering against her ribs in a frantic rhythm. "Who said that? Who's there?"

Justice stopped pacing instantly. His body went rigid, his ears swiveling like a predator tracking prey. He scanned the cave, his nostrils flaring. "There is no one else."

[I am the Cross-Dimensional Conduit System. Broadcast is limited to your consciousness only.]

Fallon's brain stuttered. She stared at Justice, who was looking at her like she had lost her mind. She clamped her mouth shut, thinking hard. You? You did this to me? You brought me to this nightmare?

[This was an accidental spatial anomaly. As compensation, the system will provide survival assistance.]

I don't want assistance! Fallon screamed in her head. I want to go back to LA! I want my bed! I want air conditioning!

[Temporal coordinates lost. Return to Earth is impossible.]

The words hit her like a physical blow. Impossible. She was never going back. The despair was a heavy blanket, smothering her.

Justice took a step toward her, his hand outstretched. He looked worried. "You are sick?"

[Compensation protocol initiated. Downloading basic knowledge of the Beast World into host's memory.]

A rush of information slammed into Fallon's brain. It felt like someone had turned on a fire hose inside her skull. She cried out, clutching her head between her hands, doubling over in pain.

Images and facts flashed before her eyes. Shifters. Mates. Beast marks. The brutal law of the jungle. Females were rare, precious, and treated like property to be fought over. Cold-blooded shifters were outcasts, feared and despised.

[Host's original physique is too weak. Upgrading to 'Beast World Adaptive Constitution'.]

A wave of warmth washed over her. The aches and pains from the hike, the scrapes from the fall, the soreness in her muscles—they all vanished, replaced by a strange energy.

[Final compensation granted: A portable 'Pocket Dimension' has been bound to your subconscious.]

Fallon blinked away the tears. In her mind's eye, she saw a gray, depressing grid. It was tiny, maybe the size of a small closet. Empty.

That's it? she thought, incredulous. This is your ultimate compensation? A closet?

[Compensation complete. System entering permanent hibernation.]

Wait! Fallon panicked. Don't leave me! Give me some supplies! Food! Water! A gun! How am I supposed to survive?

[Host must survive independently. Explore space upgrade conditions on your own. Hint: Items of deep personal significance already bonded to your physical body may alter dimensional properties when their emotional resonance is fully accessed.]

Fzzzt. The connection died. The voice was gone.

Fallon sat there, staring blankly at the fire. A closet in her head. A body that felt weirdly energized. A cryptic hint about items she already had. And she was still stuck in a cave with a snake-man who thought raw meat was a delicacy and had just called her "female" to her face.

Justice crouched down in front of her. He didn't touch her, but he was close. His mismatched eyes searched her face. "You are sick," he repeated, his voice gruff but laced with concern.

Fallon looked at him. He was the only thing standing between her and the monsters outside. He was rude, clueless, and definitely hiding a giant snake somewhere in this situation, but he had saved her life.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. She wiped her face with the back of her hand, smearing the dirt even more.

"No," she said, her voice hoarse but steady. "I just... accepted reality."

A long silence stretched between them. Justice remained crouched before her, studying her with those unsettling eyes. Then, slowly, deliberately, he inclined his head.

"Fallon," he said, trying the name carefully, as if tasting an unfamiliar food.

It was the first time he'd said it. The sound of her name in his deep, rough voice sent an unexpected shiver down her spine—not entirely unpleasant.

"Yes," she said quietly. "Fallon."

Fallon squeezed her eyes shut. Hello? System? Conduit? Anyone?

Silence. The voice in her head was well and truly gone.

She focused her attention on the gray grid in her mind. It was depressing. Just a few square meters of empty, gray space. What was she supposed to do with this? Store her dignity?

Her hand drifted unconsciously to her collarbone. Her fingers found the thin silver chain, warm from her skin. Grandma Eleanor's cross necklace. The one thing she had never taken off—not for airport security, not for ex-boyfriends who complained it poked them during hugs, not for anyone. It was so small, so much a part of her, that she hadn't even registered its presence during her frantic pat-down back in the forest. Her phone, her pepper spray, her designer wallet—all gone. But this? This had stayed. She had been wearing it the whole time.

She closed her fingers around the tiny pendant. The metal was cool despite her body heat, grounding her. A lump formed in her throat. This was her grandmother's only legacy. The woman who'd raised her when her parents were too busy with their endless social calendars. The one person who'd ever loved her without conditions.

*The system's final hint echoed in her mind: Items of deep personal significance already bonded to your physical body may alter dimensional properties when their emotional resonance is fully accessed. *

Already bonded. Already on her body.

Fallon pressed the cross flat against her chest, directly over her heart. She thought of her grandmother—the smell of lavender hand cream, the sound of old hymns hummed off-key, the way she'd said "You're stronger than you know, little star" every single night before bed.

The silver grew hot against her palm.

Justice moved instantly. His head snapped toward her, his nostrils flaring. He had sensed the faint energy fluctuation. He stared at her hand pressed to her chest, at the faint glow leaking between her fingers, his body tensing like a coiled spring.

"What is that?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous. "A weapon?"

Fallon instinctively covered the cross with both hands, shielding it. "No. It's a talisman. From my grandmother." She didn't know if he understood 'grandmother', but 'talisman' seemed like a word he might get.

Justice stared at her for a long moment, his eyes flicking between her face and her hidden hands. He understood 'important'. He understood 'protect'. He relaxed slightly, his shoulders dropping.

"It will not harm you," he said, turning back to the fire. "That is good."

Fallon barely heard him. Because the gray grid in her mind was vibrating violently. The walls rushed outward, expanding rapidly. The dull color faded, replaced by bright, clean light.

When the expansion stopped, Fallon gasped silently. The tiny closet was gone. In its place was a room the size of a modern studio apartment. It had distinct areas—a corner for sleeping, a corner for storage. It was still empty, but it was huge compared to before.

A line of text floated in her vision: [Strong emotional anchor accessed. Space upgraded to 'Domestic Tier'.]

Fallon almost laughed out loud. Emotional anchor? Grandma's necklace—which had been around her neck the entire time, which she had simply never consciously connected to the space before? The bond was already there. She just hadn't known how to use it. The love she channeled through the physical object on her body was the key.

She looked around the empty but spacious room in her mind. This was it. This was her real advantage. She could store things here. Food. Water. Weapons. She could survive.

She looked up at Justice. He was sitting by the fire, his back to her, staring into the flames. He looked lonely. And strong. Very strong.

She needed a bodyguard. She needed a provider. And he was right there.

Fallon cleared her throat. "You said this is your territory?"

Justice turned his head slightly, his silver-red eye catching the firelight. He nodded once. "Yes. Everything within sight."

Fallon touched the cross at her throat, now cool again against her skin. The space hummed quietly in the back of her mind, ready to be used.

She felt a small, determined smile tug at the corner of her lips. Good. Big guy, from now on, you're hired.

Fallon's stomach chose that exact moment to let out a roar that could rival the beast from the forest. It was loud, obnoxious, and completely undeniable.

The sound echoed in the quiet cave. Fallon's face burned hot. She wanted the ground to swallow her up.

Justice's head whipped around. His gaze dropped to her midsection, his brow furrowing deeply. "You are hungry."

It wasn't a question. He stood up and walked over to the fire, picking up that same piece of charred, bloody meat from earlier.

Fallon's survival instinct kicked in, overriding her fear. "Wait!" she shouted, holding up a hand. "I don't want that!"

Justice froze, the meat suspended in the air. He looked at the meat, then at her. His jaw tightened. He looked... hurt. Rejected.

Fallon swallowed her pride. She pointed a shaking finger toward the back of the cave. "I'm thirsty. Is there water?"

Justice stared at her for a second, then set the meat down. He walked to a large stone vat in the shadows. He picked up a crude wooden dipper-literally a chunk of wood hollowed out, bark still hanging off the edges-and scooped up some water.

He walked back and handed it to her.

Fallon took it with both hands. The water was cloudy, and the dipper smelled like tree sap. She looked at it, her modern sensibilities screaming in protest.

Just drink it, she told herself. You're not in Beverly Hills anymore.

She closed her eyes and chugged a big mouthful. The water was cold and slightly earthy, but it was wet. It soothed her parched throat.

Justice watched her drink, his eyes fixed on her. "Your body is weak," he said suddenly. "You have no energy fluctuations. Not even a first-tier."

Fallon lowered the dipper, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Her heart skipped a beat. He can see my stats?

The system knowledge chimed in: High-level shifters can sense the energy levels of those around them.

Fallon decided to own it. She met his gaze head-on, her chin lifted. "Yeah, I'm weak. So what? Are you going to eat me?"

Justice's vertical pupils contracted. A flicker of something-disgust? anger? -crossed his face. "I never eat females. That is a grave sin."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over her pale, thin arms. "But out there," he continued, his voice dropping low, "a weak, unmated female like you would not survive one night."

Fallon's chest tightened. She knew he wasn't lying. The system had shown her the brutal reality of this world.

She took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Since this is your territory," she said, her voice steady despite the trembling in her hands, "will you protect me?"

Justice went still. He stared at her, his mismatched eyes wide with shock. He hadn't expected that. He was a cold-blooded. Females ran from him. They didn't ask him for things.

He looked into her brown eyes, seeing the desperate hope there. His throat bobbed as he swallowed.

"Protecting you requires much food and energy," he said, his voice gruff, trying to sound indifferent.

Fallon jumped on the opening. "I can help! I can clean this cave! It's a mess! And I can teach you how to cook meat properly! Not like... that." She pointed at the blackened lump by the fire.

Justice looked at the meat, then at her eager face. The corner of his mouth twitched. It was the tiniest movement, almost invisible.

He turned his back to her, hiding his face. But his voice was firm and resolute.

"Fine. You stay here. I will feed you."

Fallon let out a long, shaky breath. Her shoulders sagged with relief. She had a roof over her head and a bodyguard. Her first long-term meal ticket in this crazy world was secured.