Enemy Red Read Online Free PDF Page A

years, I’ve been looking for a way to end the curse put on my family centuries ago. The monster that attacked us is a variation on the many creatures I’ve dealt with since my cousin Mikhail killed my older brother. When Mikhail stole control of the family holdings, he accidentally unleashed a curse that turned him into a raving murderer. He killed my brother, his family and most of my remaining kin.”
    “Yet you’re still here.”
    “Far away from my relatives. Living among the clan has given me some relief from the Pavtek Curse. The Wolf in the Forest is very protective of its kind.”
    “Yes, it is,” Fenris muttered, not pleased at thoughts of danger to the female he considered his. His for the moment, he reminded himself and cleared his throat. “You seem to be a man with power. You can’t break this thing or at least kill your cousin to end it?”
    “I wish. It doesn’t work that way. The curse follows the blood. Those Pavteks with sorcery in their veins are at risk. Which is why my earlier relationships were with humans. Rena was an accident. I fell in love with her at first sight.” He smiled.
    “If she’s as pretty as your daughter, I can see why,” Fenris said, dwelling on Rudra. He couldn’t read the look Rurik sent him but cautioned his idiot inner voice to shut the hell up and think before speaking.
    “Mm-hmm. So you see why your arrival is so important to me. I need a drop of werewolf’s blood, collected under the peak of the full moon, to complete a spell that will nullify the curse.”
    Fenris frowned. “But the full moon’s not for another three and a half weeks.”
    “I know. I’m sorry, son. But I need you to stay until I can collect it. You don’t understand. I’ve lost two wives and four sons because of this curse. I’m afraid if I don’t find something to take it away, it’ll infect Rudra.”
    Alarmed at his sudden need to protect the surly female, Fenris forced himself to remain calm. “I don’t understand.”
    “When my brother Petr was alive, he’d been protecting an urn that contained the curse. He tried to warn Mikhail to beware his actions, but Mikhail was like a man possessed.”
    “A victim of the curse?”
    “Perhaps.” Rurik motioned for him to turn onto a path between two giant firs, away from the village. “I never did like Mikhail. A bit of a hothead, really. When he killed Petr, it seemed par for the course he, too, would suffer a similar fate. I’ve done my best to remain distant, trying to keep the curse at bay so it wouldn’t affect my family.
    “My first wife was a sorceress, as were my children. I had hoped the curse would not affect them and kept us away from Mikhail and the other Pavteks. But they all died violently. Tragically,” he murmured, as if caught in the past. “When I remarried many years later, I sought a human bride, one without magic. We lived far from my relatives, but Mikhail found us and destroyed our peace. For years I travelled, trying to destroy Mikhail, to destroy the curse. And then I found Rena. I hadn’t thought to marry a wolf, because wolves and sorcerers don’t mix. But Rena is special. And my daughter is the best of both our worlds. Not someone to be shunned,” he reprimanded, reminding Fenris of the way he’d acted towards Rudra a few hours ago.
    Fenris flushed. “It’s just that we don’t have a fond history with humans. Your kind--”
    “I’m sorcerer, not human. There’s a fine but distinct difference, but it’s there all the same. Humans don’t live for hundreds of years.”
    “ My point is that there hasn’t been a lot of trust between wolves and humans. Forgive me if I sounded biased, but there’s a reason we don’t interbreed.” Except in Red he couldn’t find fault. She was beautiful, arrogant and sexy as hell. If he hadn’t known Rurik was her father, he would have thought her the perfect alpha. Unlike his uncle, she seemed to care more about her clan and their needs than making herself