In that full second, before the meteor hit the pub, Rose had already assessed the situation. Being a vampire, Hunter’s ass would be fine. Rose, despite not knowing what sort of being she is, would've survived it, too. She was fast and strong, and could easily avoid it.
Jericho, on the other hand...
Rose knew nothing about Jericho. Judging by his injury, he could easily be human. The man also just stood there like a suicidal maniac as the giant stone came hurtling toward them. So, with extreme force, she pushed him toward Hunter before the collision. Jericho grunted, his body still unmoving, but he went where she needed him to go. Dust and debris fell heavily on them as the pub’s ceiling caved in.
"This way! Rose! Come with us!" Rose heard Hunter scream amidst the chaos. But it was hard to locate them with all the smoke. Coughing out the dust that invaded her lungs, she navigated around the debris until she could see just enough of the two men to follow them. Her head was spinning, most probably from a relatively large chunk of stone that fell on her earlier, but she trudged behind them.
Once in the clear, Rose immediately stood before Jericho.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Rose yelled at him, pushing at his chest. "Were you trying to get yourself killed? Is that why you wanted to meet there?"
Jericho's eyes met hers lazily as if he were entranced.
"What's wrong with him?" Rose asked Hunter, her mounting anger halted for a moment.
"Ahh..." the vampire responded, just as confused as Rose was. But then his face lit up after a while, "Yeah! The old priest told me about this. Jericho here gets these trances...a seizure or something. It gets triggered when Jericho is under stress. He says we just need to guide him to sit down until it's over."
Rose scoffed in disbelief. What the hell?
First, she woke up after over a century to find out she was getting married off to a stranger. Second, she found said stranger in a potentially dangerous place. And now, he's having a seizure. Did he even want to get married? Or did he just want to die? Why drag her into it in the first place? Rose stared at Hunter in confusion.
"Don't ask me. I only just met him yesterday. He's apparently from the South." Hunter said with his hands in front of him, "Father Benedict told me to look after him until he resurrects you. Get him acquainted with our area and stuff."
"Is that why you brought him here? To get acquainted with our area?" Rose questioned Hunter, pointing at the rubble behind them.
The vampire was now full waving his hands in front of him, "I'm sorry, I forgot. I didn't realize about the meteor... Please don't hurt me."
"My apologies. Was I out for long?" Jericho's voice interrupted their conversation, and Rose returned her attention to him. "I get like this sometimes. It’s a bit embarrassing, really." he said, but his tone betrayed his words. He was still grinning at her as brightly as before.
Rose continued to glare at him, unimpressed, "So I've been told," she commented heartlessly before walking off. Father Benedict will have to answer for this himself.
***
The old priest put the hard-bound book carefully back to where it belonged, smirking as he heard the library door open. He didn't even have to look up to know who it was. Rose, above all else, always had a temper.
"Funny. I thought you would come for me as soon as you got the message. But you hunted down your future husband and gave him grief instead. I wonder why/ Were you curious about his looks, perhaps?" he said.
"He will not be my future husband. I refuse to take part in any of this." Rose countered, angrily glaring at Father Benedict.
"Well, that's too bad. Because you know as well as I do that you have no choice." Father Benedict replied simply, "We’ll be announcing your engagement tomorrow to the council.”
Father Benedict paused, looking at Rose from her head to her toes, "So I suggest you clean that filth off of you first."
Rose huffed, "Father--"
"Oh, I almost forgot. I want you to meet a couple of other lads first." the priest said, motioning for someone outside the open door, "Come in. Come in."
"What is it this time?" Rose asked in frustration.
"I want you to meet your new team." Father Benedict announces.
"Team?" Rose blurted out in confusion as two men entered the room.
"Meet Trick and Ty.” Father Benedict said as two strange men entered the room, “From now on, they will be assisting you in your investigations. Along with Jericho, of course, as soon as you both gain the strength that the curse should provide you once you're married."
To say that Rose was speechless was an understatement. She barely even processed what the men looked like. "Both? What do you mean 'as soon as you both gain the strength...?" she only managed to ask.
"Oh, did I not explain it to you thoroughly?" Father Benedict coughed, scratching at his head.
But this did not fool Rose. Not anymore. She slammed her fists on the table in front of her, "You told me that the power would be mine alone. That's why despite myself, I considered it..."
"So, you considered it." one of the men said, despite not being invited to the conversation, "That's surprising. I figured Rose Cristian, the famous guardian of the New Catholics, would at least have the decency to find power herself and not take a shortcut."
"Who are you to say--" Rose whirled towards the man, glaring at him. From the extent of his beard and the muscles that threatened to tear through his thin shirt, Rose was certain he was a werewolf. Her scowl deepened. How could a werewolf help her with Joanna?
"Tyrone Wells. He does not mean to be judging, Rose...er...Miss Cristian." the man beside Tyrone answered instead. If Tyrone was huge, this man was the complete opposite. Rose had never seen someone as scruffy as him. His glasses were crooked in ways she didn’t even think was possible, and his clothes hung loosely on him. But his nails were painted blue and almost every inch of his skin was covered in tattoos, making him look dangerous. He was also obviously a wizard.
"Who--" Rose started, but she was again cut off.
"I am Trick Hale, Miss. At your service." The thin man straightened, giving her a small salute.
Rose sighed. "If you were really at my service, then why...do you keep interrupting me?" she asked through her teeth.
"Oh, Sorry. I didn't mean..." Trick paled, but Rose dismissed him with her hand. She turned towards Father Benedict.
"I don't need help. Take these kids back to wherever they came from." Rose said, "While you're at it, drag Jericho back to wherever you found him, too. I will be in my chambers once you finally figure out another plan that does not involve any of them."
The old man sighed tiredly. "Rose...did you really think that every time I say you have no choice, I say it just to be difficult?"
Rose paused, studying the priest carefully. Father Benedict had the immortal blessing of the Christian God, and he had been the leader of his loyal followers for centuries. Rose had always been amazed at how ageless he looked. But at that moment, it seemed like the years had caught up to him all at once. He looked haggard and tired, and his hands shook as he pushed his spectacles further up the bridge of his nose.
The priest stepped towards Rose, closing the short distance in a moment to look into her eyes. He grasped her shoulders steadily and Rose gulped at the serious look on his face.
"Do this one thing, Rose, and I swear to you, you will be free of Joanna. Forever."
A beat passed between them before Rose finally nodded her assent. For now, she will pretend that she’s going along with his plan. But once she finds a way out, she will do everything in her power to vanquish Joanna with her own strength, once and for all.
"Jericho! Jericho! Where the hell are you?!" Pulling her fingers back, Rose blasted power into Jericho's locked doorknob, swinging the door open. "Were you listening? I said to meet..." Her voice trailed off, caught in her throat. Jericho was in front of her stark naked, and he wasn't doing much to cover himself. Before she knew it, she was staring at his muscular torso and Rose felt her brain scramble on the most appropriate thing to do in the situation. She came up with nothing."I mean, I get it. You finally agreed to marry me. But don't you think it is too soon for us to get acquainted with each other's bodies?" Jericho grinned at her unabashedly. Rose felt warm fire go up her cheeks, but held his gaze, "To Father Benedict's office in ten seconds. Now." she snapped before slamming the door shut on her way out. She stomped her way back to the old man's office, grumbling all the way. She was feeling all kinds of emotions for this guy and she didn’t know how to deal with them. This
Rose shouldn't worry. She was only marrying Jericho for convenience. But his accidentally calling her a different name has been bothering her more than the tight lace of the dress she was wearing. Even more disturbing is the fact that the name somehow sounded familiar to her. She felt like vomiting, but Rose knew she couldn't. There's only five minutes more into their engagement party and she has to keep appearances if they want things to work. Damn that Joanna, the unceasing thorn in her side. Even she had to take away Rose's freedom. "Knock, knock." Father Benedict softly called out from outside her door. "Come in," Rose urged. The old priest was clearly in high spirits as he peeked through the door before fully entering. Rose wanted to roll her eyes. She hadn't quite forgiven him for putting her in that situation, but she couldn't help but feel happy for him. In all her years serving the New Catholics, this was probably the first time that the weight off of Father Benedict was
People celebrated Rose and Jericho’s display of affection, finally finding hope in their impending marriage. The world is to be saved. It was only Ty, Trick, Father Benedict, and Hunter (despite his slow wits) who noticed that something transpired between the couple. Rose moved to distance herself from Jericho, but he grabbed her wrist, pinning her into place. He kissed her back, his lips soft and warm. She wanted to run away, recover from the memories that consumed her senses, but she suddenly felt weak. She couldn’t have moved even if she wanted to. Clara and Henry. Their names echoed inside Rose's brain over and over again. Who the hell are these people and why did seeing them felt like a gun to the heart?"You..." Jericho whispered as their lips parted, eyes unfocused as he looked at her. Rose could tell that he didn't expect the kiss, and was probably wondering why he allowed it. But she didn't have time to analyze his reaction because the world had restarted again.The New Cath
The world stopped around them. Literally. The woman and Rose were at normal speed, while the rest around them froze. Rose knew it was the woman's power. She had seen pride demons do this before, play with time but not stop it. "Who the hell are you?" Rose asked the woman. "I'm Joanna, dear. Don't you recognize me? I'm hurt." the woman answered. "And here I am, presenting myself to you so you wouldn't have to go through all that trouble to find me this time." Rose scoffed, “I know Joanna likes to transform herself into different people. She’s does it to put me at a disadvantage. No one knows what she truly looks like. But you…you’re not her. You’re wearing my face, telling me you’re Joanna and toying with me. But she would never wear my face. You’re not Joanna. " "But I am Joanna. This is what I really look like." the woman smirked, "I'm your twin sister, Rose." "So, in all the centuries we've fought each other, you just remembered to tell me this, now?" Rose laughed bitterly, no
Until about five minutes ago, Rose wouldn't have thought that she'd be crossing the Great Sea to get to the South. To Gandhandi, the capital of the Hindu country, where Jericho and the others allegedly came from. And from what Rose knew, a place where demons ran rampant. Rose probably should have picked a more suitable place to lay low from Joanna’s sights. But then again, Rose didn't ever think that she'd be running away from Joanna, either. She cringed at the memory of Joanna's bare hands piercing through Father Benedict's chest, followed by the hundreds of bodies left mangled on the ground from Joanna's rampage. The New Catholics were now in absolute ruin. And as their guardian, Rose was supposed to not let something like that happen. Rose yelled through the top of her head, kicking the tail end of the ship she was on. Her injured leg gave away and she ended up on the floor, cursing. But the impact only made her angrier, and she felt white-hot flames erupt from her shoulders."Now
Rose couldn't look Jericho in the eye. She didn't know how to deal with the situation at all. She agreed to marry him, yes, but she also did manage to trip trying to get him to take his knee off the ground. Rose could still feel the sharp pain on her shin from hitting the floor. But she could also still feel the small rock on her finger. Somehow, it made her feel safe. She would be caught dead before she admitted that to anyone though. "Why are you acting weird?" Trick asked Rose innocently, his eyes falling down to the ring on her finger, "Something happened between you and Jericho or something?"Rose resisted the urge to glare at him, focusing instead on the food in front of her. They had just arrived at Gandhandhi and were now waiting for another one of their friends. Apparently, they left their homes in a mess when they ventured to Emunah, the New Catholics' capital, and they weren't ready to return yet. Ty grunted, "I didn't want to come back here." "Well, you don't get to hav
"What the hell were you thinking? Is this really our priority? Shouldn't we work on finding someplace else to stay? We can't stay here. I’m pretty sure Joanna knows where we are. We’ll be putting Crescent and the children in danger." Rose said, resting her head on the table in front of her. They were out on her room's terrace, looking out at the children playing in the yard. Kids couldn't seem to stop playing. Rose wondered what that felt like. "Rose, we need to have a place to stay if we intend on getting all three relics in the shortest possible time. We also need a place to hold a wedding, you know." Jericho replied, "And CeeCee and the children will be fine. We're not planning on staying here long. As soon as we have what we came for, we'll leave this place.""Do you even know anything about Catholic weddings? And by the way, thanks for not telling me that you'd ask Crescent to arrange this thing. I'm so looking forward to wearing a dress." Rose replied, her voice dripping with sa
Rose was thrown backward with a force that knocked her breath away. But she recovered fast, blasting fire at the stones that rapidly formed in front of her. Trick, who was right behind her, was quick too, already pulling up his magicked hands. Ty and Jericho, on the other hand, started chasing the man who had scampered away from the rubble, weaving their way expertly through the shocked figures of the marketplace goers. Rose glanced at Trick, who gave her a nod. "That bastard," Rose muttered under her breath as she gave chase to the man too, leaving the mess in Trick's hands. From what Rose knew of this man, he was fast and strong during his glory days. Ty and Jericho might have trouble pinning him down. But it looked like she had nothing to worry about, as Ty and Jericho already had the priest cornered in another alley. "What the hell was that?" Ty, in half-werewolf form, snarled at the thin, cowering man in front of him."Please...I--I'm sorry...I thought you were--" the priest st