Natalie held him tight, her eyes red. "We're okay. Thank God." Cassian hugged her back. "Yeah." For a long while, the two of them just stayed like that, alive after what felt like certain death. Only when his breathing slowed did Cassian look around. They weren't outside anymore. This was clearly the great room of a mansion. The ceiling soared overhead, with a giant chandelier throwing bright light across the space. A crystal-trimmed spiral staircase curved upward, and leather couches sat in perfect rows. But what caught his eye most was the glass wall display. Inside, gold bars were stacked high, glittering so brightly they almost hurt to look at. The place looked every bit as rich as his own Villa One. "Where the hell did we blink to?" Cassian asked. Someone else hiding out here in Greenhaven Mountain with money to burn? Natalie hesitated, then decided not to keep it from him anymore. If she wanted to be with him for the long haul, this truth had to come out sooner or later. "It's not someone else's house," she admitted. "This is my storage space." "Storage space?" Cassian actually looked stunned. Natalie nodded and explained—how it worked, what it could do. Storage, hiding, blinking through danger, leveling up with those strange crystals. She laid it all out, though most of it sounded like science fiction. Finally, she showed him. She focused, and in her palm appeared the Heart of Winter necklace he had once given her."This here is the living area," Natalie said. "People can come inside. But there's also a storage zone. You can't walk into it—it only works through my mind. I can see what's inside, and I can pull things out or put things in." Cassian stared at the necklace resting in her hand. He knew she wasn't joking. Still, it felt unreal, like something out of a dream. The necklace vanished from Natalie's hand as if it had never been there. Just as Cassian was about to say something, she pressed a button, and the motorized curtains slid open. Behind them was a giant floor-to-ceiling window, and the view outside made him freeze. Rolling green lawns stretched as far as the eye could see. Tall trees swayed in the breeze. A small pond shimmered under the sunlight. And—were those crops? Cassian blinked hard, staring at rows of parsley and bright red peppers. He couldn't stop himself—he got up, pulled the door open, and walked outside. That was the moment it finally hit him. This wasn't the real world. Not anymore. Not after the Great Heat they'd just lived through. Out there, nothing this fresh and alive even existed. Natalie followed, keeping pace with him across the grounds. She couldn't help but study his face. There was no greed in his eyes. No scheming. Just plain wonder. The living grass reflected in his gaze, soft and glowing. After a while, his steps slowed. He reached forward and touched something invisible—an unseen wall. "That's where the storage zone starts, isn't it?" he asked. Natalie gave a small nod. "Yeah. You can't take your body past that point. The only space we can move around in is this estate."Now Cassian finally pieced it together. The missing supplies from the mall. The stolen Knight XV. This was where everything had gone. This space of hers—this storage space—was a miracle. Even if someone had seen the footage, even if they knew exactly who took the goods, they'd never be able to find them again. The two of them wandered the grounds before heading back inside the villa. Cassian sat quiet for a moment, then said, "If you can step in here but still live out there in danger, then there must be a catch. Some kind of limit." Natalie nodded. "You guessed right. There's only so much time I can stay here each day. At first, it was just one hour. After some upgrades, it reached two." "With emeralds?" Cassian asked. She nodded again. "Yeah. The earrings and the chain you gave me—I used them to upgrade this place." He didn't mind. "Good. They've done more here than they ever could on you." Then he smiled. "From now on, we'll collect emeralds together and level this place up. I'll give you other gifts too—stuff that won't get swallowed by your space." She smiled back. "Deal." "So now we can stay for two hours max?" "Not exactly," Natalie said. "I got more emerald last night—from the Boltons, the Ashfords, and a few of the neighbors. I don't even know how much time we have now." Almost an entire neighborhood's worth of emeralds—most of it top-tier. That had to give her at least another hour, or maybe two. Cassian nodded. "Doesn't matter. We don't need to stay here too long. Half an hour from now, let's test going back out." "Okay."He thought for a moment, then gave her a serious look. "Nattie, you can never share this secret. Not with anyone. Not even with Harold or Olivia." She softened. He was worried for her. "Relax. I only told you." Then she teased, "Think I'm safe with you? You're not gonna kill me and steal the treasure, are you?" Cassian's lips curved up. "If I killed you, I'd get the treasure but lose my wife. What do you think—does it sound like a good trade to you?"