Free Misha: Lanning's Leap by Kathi S. Barton

explain to you what we can do for you.”
    “I don’t want him around me. He hates me. And…and I don’t care all that much for him either.” She shook her head and pulled her hand from his. “Tell me the rest, but I’m not going to be his wife. Please don’t make me.”
    “ He’s your mate, honey. And he is going to get you out of here. When he does, he’s going to take you to his home and provide for you. Make sure you’re safe, as all of us will do. You’ll never have to go back to your mother again. He’ll make sure of it.” Carter watched her face and could see that she wasn’t going to do this. Not for any amount of money. “Misha said that if you do this, he’ll make sure you never have to work again, that you’ll have whatever you want within reason, as well as his money.”
    “His money?” Carter nodded. “He thinks…will he want to have sex with me, too? I mean as his wife, that’s pretty much a given, right?”
    Carter didn’t know how to answer her so he said it was a given. “He’ll keep you safe. And that should be enough until you love him, right? I mean, he’s a pain in the ass most of the time, but he’d never hurt you.”
    “You think so, do you?” Carter didn’t understand the pain that he heard in her voice and tried to think how to fix this. “I’d like for you to finish whatever it is you need to tell me.”
    Carter nodded. Maybe he’d been mistaken about the pain he’d heard and wondered what was wrong with her, and concluded that it had to be from sitting for so long. So he pulled out his list and started on the things she had to do and say. “You cannot mention the wolf or the cat. When the doctor comes to evaluate you, you’ll just answer his questions as truthfully as you can, but don’t mention the wolf or my cat.”
    She nodded at each point , but she never spoke again while he finished up. Carter felt as if he’d lost something in this. Her friendship was…it was important to him that she trusted him. When he asked her if she had any questions, she told him just one.
    “If this works, what is your brother going to expect from me? I don’t mean…I know he’s going to expect something. No one would go to all this trouble for me without something in return. What is it?” He told her that it was his responsibility to care for her and nothing more. “I see. Will you have him make a list of his expectations and have it sent to me?”
    “I will.” Carter watched her face as she settled back into the bed. He wanted to tell her to forget this. That she might be better off telling them that he’d shifted partially and that she’d seen the wolf. In here she’d be safe, and Misha would…Misha wouldn’t hurt her. Because as surely as he was sitting there, Carter knew that Misha was going to hurt her.
    “I’ll wait on the list then. When you get it…when it gets here, I’ll make sure to let you know what I want to do.” Carter stood up, but before he could say anything more, his friend came in.
    As he left, Carter reached for Rider. He didn’t want to talk to Misha just yet and told Rider what she wanted. Rider said he’d ask Misha and make sure she got it.
    Does she need anything else? Carter wanted to tell him she needed everything, but told him she couldn’t have anything. Then he told him about the chair as well as the pain meds. I’ll have Danny Hudson see that she has better care.
    I’m not going to take her the list. Misha can try to make me do it, but I won’t. I don’t think I can handle the hurt on her face when he spouts off about what he wants in this, and she gets shit. Rider started defending Misha, but Carter cut him off. No. She needs this list, and I really can’t blame her for wanting to know what’s right up front, but I won’t take it to her knowing that it’s going to hurt her.
    All right. I’ll get it to her another way. Other than the meds, did she mention anything else?
    Yeah. She’s thrilled to death to know that