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.

Fallon set the rough wooden dipper down on the stone beside her. She leaned back against the soft animal skins, her eyes drifting to the man sitting across the fire.

Justice was poking the embers with a thick bone, his profile illuminated by the flickering orange light. The fire danced in his mismatched eyes. The silver eye looked like frozen metal. The red eye looked like a drop of blood.

Fallon shivered. The system knowledge was clear. Eyes like that belonged to a reptile. A cold-blooded predator.

She remembered the giant snake tail crushing the beast. The scales. The strength.

She subconsciously shrank back, her body pressing deeper into the furs, putting as much distance between them as possible.

Justice's hand paused on the bone. He didn't turn around, but his back muscles bunched up under his skin. He had heard the rustle of her clothes against the stone wall. He had sensed her retreat.

He thought she was afraid of him. Afraid of the monster he was.

He slowly turned his head. His eyes were dark, shadowed with a pain he tried to hide behind a mask of cold indifference.

"You do not need to fear," he said, his voice flat and distant. "I will not touch you."

Fallon blinked, confused.

Justice stood up, his towering frame casting a long shadow over her. "I am used to living alone. Other shifters think my temper is bad."

He avoided the word 'cold-blooded'. He avoided the truth. He just stood there, looking down at her, waiting for her to run.

Fallon looked at his tight jaw, his clenched fists. She realized something. He wasn't threatening her. He was defending himself. He was insecure.

This giant, terrifying man was afraid she would reject him.

The realization was so absurd, so human, that it cut through her fear. She felt a strange pang of sympathy.

She cleared her throat, forcing her voice to sound light. "I'm not afraid of you. I'm just cold."

Justice's eyes narrowed slightly, searching her face for the lie. He didn't find it.

He turned and walked to the back of the cave. He returned a moment later, carrying an armful of thick, white, fluffy furs. He didn't hand them directly to her, clearly still wary of crossing that invisible boundary between them. Instead, he placed them gently on the stone floor beside her, nudging the soft pile with his foot in her direction before quickly retreating a step.

"Cover yourself," he grunted, pointing a thick finger toward the cave entrance. "...Cold. Coming."

Fallon ran her fingers over the fur. It was incredibly soft, like cashmere. "Wind season? Is that like winter?"

Justice frowned. "Winter? It is the season of raging winds and ice."

He walked over to the cave entrance and looked out at the dark sky. His voice grew heavy. "Many weak females and cubs do not survive the wind season. If the food stores are not enough, even strong males freeze in the wild."

Fallon's heart clenched. She looked at herself, wrapped in warm, luxurious furs, and then at Justice, who was standing by the opening in nothing but a short skirt, letting the cold wind hit his bare chest.

A sense of crisis hit her hard. She couldn't just sit here. She had to do something.

She looked at his broad back, her eyes hardening with determination. "We have to do something. We can't just sit here and wait to die."