Brandi sat in the library looking over three different books simultaneously. She had a book of Vervanian economics on the left. A book of business orientation in the middle and a book of ownership on the right. She read through them page by page. After finishing two pages on one book she read two more pages on another book.

To anyone looking at her it seemed like she was reading in a complex series of confusing steps. To Brandi, all the information had started to make perfect sense. Economics in Vervania was complicated at first glance. All the money was cycled through.

First it went into a main holding where it was held, counted and sorted. Taxes and holdings were taken out first, then the money was distributed across the shops accordingly to their incoming and outgoing profits based upon expert calculations. Once the money was distributed, loans and shareholding were paid.

After that the money was distributed to employees and affiliates. What was left over went to the kingdom. Everyone received their fair share and what was left over was given to the people in forms of upkeep and maintenance. In terms of business, Brandi was just scratching the surface of the basics.

Every company needed three things. A founder, a holder and a financial backer. Brandi was the founder, it was her desire to have a business. The holder was Kelly, she was the one who put the stock and praise into the creation of the idea though so did Melanie but in the eyes of business affairs, her unity with the kingdom meant she and the King were of one entity.

What she needed was a financial backer. Someone who could support the ideal institution of her business. Lynx had suggested flyers and advertisements. Though she still wasn't sure what to call her business yet or how to draw attention. Brandi, eyes absorbing the information that poured into her brain, didn't even notice the library doors open until she heard her name get called. Twice.

"Huh? Oh! Kelly." Brandi looked up from her three books. Her eyes scanned over Kelly, looking for any signs of wear or tear.

"Are you...okay?"

"Yes. For fuck sake I'm fine." Kelly replied angrily.

Brandi glanced around Kelly and looked at Melanie who seemed irritated.

"My lady? Are you...ok-"

"No. No, not really." Melanie replied, cutting her friend off.

Melanie swiped at Kelly's hair revealing the six bite marks that Maalceus had inflicted.

Brandi looked from the marks, then to Melanie in shock.

"He raped you?" Brandi shouted in outrage.

"No I was not raped. I wanted this."

"Kelly! He probably transferred his essence to you." Melanie snapped.

"Like Lucian...sorry, the king, did to you?" Brandi asked.

"Yes." Melanie tossed up her hands in outrage.

"What does Luc-the king have to say about it?" Brandi asked.

"Nothing because we haven't spoken to him." Kelly replied.

"Why not?" Brandi asked and then realized the answer before anyone had even said it. She looked at Melanie with an apologetic expression. Silence enveloped the room for a long moment before anyone spoke again.

"Have you talked to him at all?" Brandi asked.

"No, not yet. He is still asleep I think." Melanie replied, looking shy and withdrawn.

"Hey, I'm sure he will be fine." Kelly swept an arm around her best friend comfortingly. "This isn't his first war and I'm sure he has killed dozens of people."

"Kelly!" Brandi scolded.

"What? It's true." Kelly shrugged. "All I am saying is that Lu-tje king", she corrected herself for the third time, "seems like a very strong person. A single battle I doubt will cause him too much worry."

Melanie thought back to what Lynx had said on the roof, just before the battle had started. 'More nightmares'.

"You should go talk with him my lady." Brandi urged.

"What if...what if he doesn't want to talk. What if he won't let me in?"

"C'mon hun. Give him the benefit of the doubt here. Try." Brandi replied.

Melanie nodded and turned towards the doors.

*****

Maalceus walked the halls of the palace, letting his keen sense of smell lead him to Kelly. A strange natural fragrance of roses and something sweeter. He followed it down the corridor that led to the library. The servants and guards that wandered the hallways bowed to him as he passed.

Maalceus barely noticed them though. His mind was rehearsing what script he was forming. 'Kelly. I need to apologize for my actions.' He furrowed his brows in contemplation. Maalceus wasn't wrong in his actions. He had gotten swept up in the moment which was what happened during sex.

However, a dragon did not claim someone unless there was a bond. A connection that sparked something undeniably primal and ancient. 'Kelly? I think we should talk about last night.' A decent starter he nodded just as he reached the library doors and pushed them open.

He paused and stumbled slightly nearly running into Queen Melanie. She looked just as startled as he did but her surprise shifted to fury. Maalceus had faced many foes and battled many monstrosities in his time. However, the look of fury that that radiated from her face set him back on his heels.

Maalceus could feel something deeper inside of her. 'Her dragon is growing' he realized. The truth of that matter was only more evident in her eyes. The bright color of her iris and the oval shape of her pupil revealed the draconic essence growing within her. Reshaping and transforming her.

"You." She hissed. "You have done a horrible...unforgivable act upon my friend."

Maalceus felt her words slice into him like blades. Mostly because they were true. He put a series of events upon Kelly, one that she could not avoid or back out of.

"I know." He said in a deep tone filled with regret.

"You are the head of justice. The voice of judgment and reason. How could you-"

Kelly wrapped her arms around Melanie and pushing her out through the doors and into the hall past Maalceus.

"Wh-let me go! I will have his head in my hands before I am done." Melanie shouted angrily.

Kelly shut the door to the library and looked at her friend. She could see the shift in Melanie's eyes and face. The transition was happening. Something Kelly would now have to face as well. She set that thought aside and dealt with her angry protective friend.

"Listen sweetie. Go to your man. He needs you." Kelly said.

"What about you? I want-"

"I'll handle this...my lady-" Kelly winked. "-ill catch up with you later on. Okay? I know you want to help but I promise. I got this."

Kelly watched Melanie's glistening blue eyes fade to a darker blue and the pupils rounded back out as Melanie calmed herself. She leaned in and hugged her friend.

"Fine. But if he does or says anything. You tell me right away." She leveled a finger up at Kelly.

"You have my word." Kelly replied and watched Melanie walk off.

Turning back toward the doors of the library she took a deep breath and walked in. Maalceus stood near the door, strong and muscular though his face held an expression of uncertainty.

"Is my lady alright?" He asked.

"She will be fine. She is rather protective, though I think her and I are very protective of one another. We are like sisters more than friends." She chuckled and walked closer to Maalceus who tried hard not to give into his nervous twitch.

'Just tell her the truth. Get it out. For better or worse she needs to know.' Maalceus told himself as he silently coached himself into the moment. However, that moment was stolen when Kelly spoke first.

"My lord?" She asked. "Did you claim me last night?"

Maalceus swallowed hard and nodded. Kelly hid her surprise behind a wall of further questions. She didn't want him to see her discomfort. Brandi, sitting across the room noticed it though. She saw the subtle expression wash over Kelly. As fast as a shooting star, there one second and gone the next.

"Is your...essence inside me? Am I going to change?" Kelly asked.

Maalceus noted the lack of incriminating emotion which is what he had expected from the feisty female. He stared into her gaze a few moments longer before the answers tumbled free from his lips.

"Yes, my essence is coursing through your veins, altering your body on a genetic level." He sighed, letting the truth out was both relieving and burdening at the same time.

He would deal with whatever outburst she lashed back at him without punishment. He knew he deserved at least that.

"So I am going to be going through this...transition thing? I'll become a dragon?"