Nicholas didn't panic.
He pressed two fingers under Harper's jaw, feeling for a pulse. It was faint. Too faint. His chest tightened, but he forced himself to stay calm. Swiftly, he pulled off his shirt, folded it, and gently placed her head on it. Then he leaned over her and began CPR. His hands pressed firmly against her chest in a steady rhythm, counting silently in his head.
One round.
Two.
Nothing.
His throat tightened, but he pushed the fear down and kept going. Then, on the third round, Harper suddenly gasped, sucking in breath before she started coughing.
Nicholas exhaled sharply, relief washing over him.
"Easy, babe. Easy," he murmured, helping her up to a sitting position. He steadied her, keeping one arm behind her back.
Harper placed a shaky hand on her stomach, eyes unfocused for a moment before settling on him. "She's alright," she whispered.
Nicholas let out another relieved breath and kissed her, pressing his lips firmly against hers. "Thank God," he murmured. "For a moment there…"
Harper gave him a weak smile. "You're never getting rid of me."
''I'll hold you to that'' Nicholas chuckled, his hand drifting to her belly. A small kick met his palm. "Active as always," he said, smiling.
His gaze shifted, scanning the dark, dusty space around them. He frowned.
Harper followed his gaze and took in their surroundings for the first time. The dim light from the high, cracked windows cast shadows across the abandoned warehouse. Rusting forklifts sat idle in the distance. The air was thick with the scent of dust and metal. Then her eyes landed on the ring of salt around them.
"Where are we?''
Nicholas's jaw clenched. "I'm not sure, but I know reapers took us from Albany."
''so The Glades found us.'' She said.
Harper's expression darkened. She exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. "Damn it. Means I can't cloak us anymore. My power's as good as gone. We need to get to my Great-aunt Griselda in Salem. Fast."
"Yeah," Nicholas agreed, glancing over his shoulder. "We have to move. I don't know how we're still alive, but something happened to me. Something different. I'll tell you everything, but whoever brought us here could be back any second."
Harper frowned. "Wait—I thought you said we were taken by reapers?"
Nicholas hesitated. "They did, but I don't think they brought us here. The last thing I remember was being taken by reapers from the apartment in Albany. He shook his head. "What do you remember?"
Harper squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing her forehead as she tried to remember. "I remember you being held down while they dragged me away. Nothing after that."
Nicholas's expression hardened. "That's all I remember too.''
"Stay here while I have a look around" Nicholas said, kissing her forehead then disappearing into the shadows.
Harper took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. The warehouse was quiet—too quiet. She strained to sense any supernatural presence, but she felt nothing. Not even the faintest hint of her power. It worried her. Ever since she conceived, her magic had been weakening. Now, it was gone entirely. She placed a protective hand over her stomach.
Nicholas returned a few minutes later, urgency in his steps. "We're in an abandoned dock in Queens," he said.
Harper's brows shot up. "Queens?"
Harper tried to get up but swayed slightly. Nicholas immediately caught her. "No, babe. You're not walking an inch. I'll carry you."
She sighed, relenting.
"I found a small boat that'll take us to Brooklyn. There's something I need to grab from my old apartment….. A medallion. Then we'll get on the first bus to Boston"
She frowned. "What medallion?"
''it's a bit of a long story''
''then be concise'' she insisted.
"It's something I made when I was a kid. Took it everywhere with me. I left it behind when I moved away from Brooklyn.''
He paused.
''I trapped some demons inside it, now I think they're out, and I think they may have just helped us."
Harper stared at him. "Okay…that's a lot to unpack. If you trapped them, why would they help us? And why would you trap them if they could be helpful in the first place, more importantly, how did they get out?"
Nicholas exhaled. "It's complicated. Remember how I always told you it was difficult growing up with my abilities as a kid.''
''yeah'' Harper said. ''I still don't understand how you didn't go crazy with no one to guide you.''
''Trust me'' Nicholas said. ''I was a mess. So, as a good catholic, My parents took me to a priest. He blessed a St. Joseph medallion and gave it to me." He ran a hand through his hair. "I carried it everywhere. But I still saw things. Still heard voices. Then one night, the voices got too loud. There were too many of them. I had never been so scared. I panicked, grabbed the medallion and wished with everything in me that they would go away. And they did."
Harper listened intently as he continued. "After that, whenever I touched the medallion, I saw them. Some of them looked angry. Others…just sad, neglected, as if I had abandoned them. So, I stopped touching it." He lifted her into his arms. "Let's move. I'll explain the rest on the way."
They made their way to the dock, where Nicholas carefully placed her into a dinghy before climbing in himself. The wooden boat creaked under their weight as he started the engine, pushing them off the dock. The water lapped against the sides, the rhythmic sound filling the silence between them.
Nicholas continued; ''When I moved away from the Upper east side to Brooklyn. I took it with me but I haven't touched it in a while.''
Harper watched him. "Why didn't you ever tell me about this?"
Nicholas hesitated, then sighed. "I thought it was behind me." He looked at her, ''I met you, and you showed me how to summon them whenever I wanted to and banish them whenever I needed to. You helped me make sense of my entire life. But today, I saw the ones that I trapped in the medallion while I was a boy. And I heard them."
Harper reached out and hugged him.
Harper's heart pounded. "But the Grand Keeper of the Glades said our abilities would weaken until they were completely gone. She said it's because our child is drawing our power." She placed a protective hand over her belly. "It's been true so far. I can't cloak us anymore. I can't sense other supernatural's."
"I know," Nicholas said. "And till today I hadn't been able to summon any demons, haven't been disturbed by any in a while either. That's why we need the medallion. I want to touch it, then I'll know for sure that somehow the demons got out. It'll help us understand what's happening before we get to Salem.''
Harper nodded. Understanding. ''You think you somehow summoned them?''
''I don't know babe'' he sighed. ''but you understand why we need the medallion?''
''I do.'' She said. Squeezing his hand.
''There's more'' Nicholas said.
Harper stared at him. "okk…"
Nicholas held her gaze. Then, slowly, his eyes began to glow—a deep, burning red.
Harper inhaled sharply, eyes widening in shock.
''Tell me everything that happened while I was out.''