Curse Of The Aswangs (The Vasquez Brothers #1)[COMPLETED]

33: ZADE

The cool night air swept across the empty plaza, the stone beneath our feet still warm from the sun that had set hours ago. The church loomed behind us, its tall, stained-glass windows casting faint colors onto the cobblestones.

The sound of a distant bell echoed through the town, but otherwise, the streets were eerily quiet—too quiet for a Sunday afternoon. Normally, this place would be alive with people, food stalls, and music. But tonight, all that was gone, like the town itself was holding its breath for something dark on the horizon.

I leaned against one of the stone benches, trying to ignore the knot in my stomach. Emily sat on the ground, her back against the steps of the church, wrists tied with zip ties. She wasn't struggling anymore. Not physically, at least. Her eyes were fixed on the ground, her face smeared with dirt, her clothes torn from when Draco caught her in the alleyway.

Ash stood a few feet away, arms crossed, his silhouette sharp against the church's light. He didn't say much, as usual, but I could tell from the way his jaw clenched that he was on edge. This wasn't just some normal arrest or interrogation. This was Emily—my ex—and despite everything, I could still feel the pull of all our history together.

And then there was Draco. The faerie prince. And his elite guard's wings were concealed, but the air around them still shimmered with that strange, otherworldly energy they couldn't hide. He paced back and forth in front of Emily, his sneakers scuffing the pavement, the tension radiating from him in waves.

"Enough games, Emily," Dylan snapped, his voice low but sharp. "Tell us what Enrique's planning, or I swear, I'll—"

"What, Dylan? What will you do?" she spat, cutting him off. Her head moved like a strike of a snake. "You've already hunted me down like some animal, dragged me here. What else do you want?"

I could feel the anger bubbling up between them, but I stepped forward, trying to defuse the situation before it blew up. "Emily, please," Arires said. "We know something big's happening. You can stop it—if you just tell us what Enrique's planning."

For a second, her expression softened, like she wanted to talk to me. But just as quickly, that defiance returned, the hard edge in her eyes making it clear she wasn't going to make this easy.

"Up now, I've murdered hundreds of people." She let the tension thicken, savoring the gravity of her words. "Your kind is one of them, and I've nearly killed one of your ancestors. Things are simple as that. Dark magic is easier."

"Just what do you think people's life are?!" I raised his voice. "A toy you could play with?!"

"That's enough, Zade." Ash said.

"But--"

"It was witchcraft and the teachings of another dark witch made her what she is. She is beyond saving." Ash said as if figuring it all out about Emily's dark past. There was both sadness and anger brewing his eyes.

Her lips curled into a cruel smile. Then she laughed, a sound that slithered down the spine and curled up in the pit of your stomach. It grew louder, richer, like a beast savoring its next meal. Each note dripped with malice, as if he was reveling in some wicked secret that only he could understand."You're right there, big bro. You want to learn dark magic like mine? You probably somewhat know what I'm talking about."

A flash of guilt came to Ash's gaze. "I don't need magic to understand the corrupt power of darkness. And being immortal, that sucks of all the suckest."

"Ah, immortality," she began. "You think it a gift, perhaps? A blessing from the gods? No, it is not that. It is so much more. It is power beyond reckoning."

"You think you can stop it?" she laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "Zade, this isn't like before. Enrique's gone too far this time. Monday night... it's already too late."