Chapter 48

Xander's POV

We file out quietly. Henry falls in behind us as we move through the corridor, the sterile lights above us flickering faintly. The hospital is still, unnervingly so for this hour. When we step outside, the early morning air hits me—cold, sharp, clean. The sky is pale and washed out, the kind of blue that only happens just after sun rise.

I head straight for my truck, the last vehicle still in the lot. The others had taken the other cars home earlier. We climb in silently—Henry in the passenger seat, Zahra and Max in the back. The hum of the engine fills the quiet as I pull out of the parking lot and start toward home.

No one speaks. I steal glances at the rear-view mirror now and then. Zahra stares out her window, her face unreadable, exhaustion etched into every line. Max does the same, his jaw tight, hands resting on his knees. Neither of them looks at the other.

With everything that happened tonight, I hadn’t thought about it before now, but the image of them sneaking