The Serpent King's Unwilling Human Mate

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.