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

42:ASH

Crouching under the old bahay kubo, my heart was beating like a war drum. The worn bamboo slats beneath my feet creaked slightly as I shifted my weight, trying to keep as still as possible. Next to me, Minho sat just as silent, his face barely visible in the moonlight that filtered through the gaps in the nipa roof.

We both watched the sky, where the Aswangs circled overhead like vultures waiting for their next meal. Their dark, inhuman shapes contrasted against the deep blue sky, lit only by the thin sliver of moonlight. The sight of them still sent a chill down my spine, but right now, something else had my attention.

Minho.

It was almost laughable, considering the circumstances. Hiding under a bamboo hut, with hellish creatures flying above us, plotting who knows what. And yet, here I was, hyper-aware of every single thing about him. The way his breath hitched when he moved, the quiet rustle of his clothes as he shifted beside me, and the heat radiating from his body, even in the cool night air.

I could feel his presence—intense, magnetic. My pulse quickened, and not just because of the Aswangs. My fire magic usually flared up when I was angry or scared, but now? Now it was sparked by something else entirely, something more dangerous.

I caught Minho glancing at me from the corner of his eye. His jaw was clenched, his lips pressed into a thin line like he was trying to stay focused, but I knew better. There was tension between us—thick enough to slice through with one of his swords. It had been building for days now, but tonight, it felt palpable, like a live wire humming just beneath the surface.

I swallowed hard, trying to focus on the task at hand. We were supposed to be watching for a signal, something to tell us when it was safe to move. But my eyes kept drifting back to Minho. I could see the muscles in his arms, taut and ready for action, and his shirt—well, what was left of it—clung to him in a way that was, frankly, distracting.

He must have noticed because, without turning his head, he whispered, "You're staring."

I blinked, snapping out of it. "What? No, I'm not."

He smirked, his voice low, teasing. "Yeah, you are."

I felt the heat rising in my chest—not the magic, just me being embarrassed.

He raised an eyebrow, his smirk growing wider and was getting annoying. I was about to snap back with something smart, but then I caught sight of movement in the sky. The Aswangs were beginning to disperse, their twisted forms moving away from the area. My instincts kicked back in. Whatever they were planning, it wasn't here anymore.

"We need to move," I said, my voice dropping into a serious tone.

Minho nodded, all business again, though I didn't miss the way his hand brushed against mine as he shifted to stand. That single touch sent a jolt through me, and for a split second, I forgot all about the demons, the shrine, and the mission.

We crept out from under the bahay kubo, sticking to the shadows as we made our way toward the Salihid Shrine. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and salt from the ocean, mingled with the faint, metallic tang of blood—probably from whatever the Aswangs had been up to earlier.

As we walked side by side, the tension between us only grew. Neither of us said a word, but I could feel it in every step, every glance. Minho, of course, had that stupidly confident swagger, like nothing ever bothered him. But I could tell—I could feel it in the way he was walking a little too close to me, his arm brushing mine every few paces.

When we finally reached the outskirts of the shrine, we stopped, crouching behind a large boulder to assess the situation. My heart was still pounding, but now it was a mix of adrenaline and... something else. I glanced at Minho, who was scanning the area, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and the sight of him like that—strong, focused, determined—made my stomach flip in a way I wasn't ready to admit out loud.

"You ready?" he asked, his voice quiet but steady.

"Yeah," I muttered, more to myself than him.

I forced my focus back on the task at hand, burying the tension deep inside. We had a job to do—find out what the hell Enrique was up to and stop him before everything went south.