The Agreement

Chapter 14

"Easy Jaxon," Esme smiled as the little male cub wrapped his paws around her. "Easy."

"Kitten?" Raven asked coming out to see what was going on.

"I'm fine Yevgeny," She said as she gently pulled the cub into her lap. "He is just wanting to play, that's all. He's okay."

"Raven Kitten Raven," He corrected as he leaned against the doorframe smirking.

"Yes, sorry, Raven," She said running her fingers through the cub's fur. Osiris came over and growled making Jaxon leap out of her lap and go over to him. He scoffed and the cub took off with Osiris following behind him. She shook her head with a peaceful smile on her lips.

"Inside cool down?" Raven asked and she nodded as she stood. "I bring water, where you be?"

"I'll be in my office handling some paperwork," She said as she walked by, "Thank you Raven."

"Welcome Kitten," He smiled as he watched her walk.

2 Months Later

"I'm sorry, how many shelters did you put up?" She asked the guys as they ate dinner.

"Um, five for the lions, four for the elephants, two for the giraffes, three for the wolves, and five for the tigers," Silas said looking at the notepad beside him.

"Oh wow!" She gasped, "Well, thank you, I'm sure they appreciate it."

"I think they do," Axel said handing his phone over so she could scroll through the pictures. She smiled when she saw the animals inside stretched out relaxing or inspecting them.

"I have to agree with you Axel," She nodded as she handed the phone back. "They look very happy. Have they given you any problems while you build here when I'm not outside?"

"No," North shook his head. "They tend to keep their distance. Osiris and Shiva have come close to investigate as well as the largest black wolf and one of the elephants as well but the rest tend to stay away to watch."

"The black wolf is Onyx, and you are probably talking about Babar, he's the king of the group," She said as she pushed the empty plate away. They have noticed that since they have been staying there she has gotten to the point where instead of eating only half of what was on her plate she would finish it all. It helped that they talked to her while they ate so she wasn't fully aware of how much she was eating. Gabe had also silently adjusted her clothes so she wasn't aware of the healthy weight she had put on. They were pleased with how comfortable she was getting with them, they still had some work to do but there was improvement from where they started. They were so thankful for the quarantine they were in. Sure there were times they had cabin fever but all they had to do was step outside and there was so much for them to explore or work on that it instantly went away. They wanted to stay in this bubble they were in as long as they could.

"Um Victor?" She asked nervously while biting on her lip.

"Do you want me to play for you again while Kota reads to you for your afternoon nap, Princess?" Victor smiled and she nodded. "Of course, I told you anytime you wanted all you had to do was say something. I'm proud of you for asking, Princess."

"Me too, Ten," Kota nodded, "Why don't you go grab your book and we will meet you in the library in a few minutes. We will clean up here."

"Thank you," she smiled as she stood and headed off down the hall.

"She is doing so well now," Owen said watching her. "She asked me for help with some of the sanctuary legal work yesterday."

"She asked me for advice on the castle renovation," Silas said softly.

"She is seeking us out for advice and starting to get attached to us," Corey said as he picked up some dishes. "Have you noticed how she looks around at times to see if we are there?"

"She was even okay with Elizabeth leaving to stay with her family for a bit with no set day on her coming back," Marc pointed out. "I would have figured she would have protested but instead she encouraged her to go see her family. She is started to depend on us more than Elizabeth, that has to mean something, doesn't it?"

"We are definitely making progress," Silas nodded. "She is trusting us more now that we have shown her our loyalty to her and her lifestyle in remaining private."

Nathan smiled, "Maybe we can start pushing herboundaries."