Heirs of War by Mara Valderran

would comfort her. Especially when all she wanted to do was figure out the mystery the two of them were linked to. But Rhaya knew the time for questions and mysteries would come later. For now, her friend needed her. Isauria had this incredible sorrow enveloping her, so heavy Rhaya swore she could touch it. Rhaya had to help Isauria before attempting to get answers.
    Her thoughts were interrupted as her attention snapped to a presence nearby. There was a man sitting at a table staring at her. He shifted his attention away when she noticed him, but he wasn't fast enough. He was watching her. And she got the same feeling from him as she did from the man outside her classroom a couple weeks ago.
    "Can I help you?" the clerk at the register asked.
    Rhaya turned back to the clerk, but glanced back to the menacing man pretending to read a newspaper. "No," she finally said. "I think I changed my mind."
    Rhaya shifted her body in such a way as to not turn her back on the man as she returned down the stairs, all the while trying her best not to make it obvious she was aware of his silent intent. She couldn't explain the churning in her gut, but this man had her more than creeped out. Add the dangerous aura he gave off to the ominous warnings she had received from Tate and her father, and she found she was flat out terrified. Once she was out of sight, she picked up her pace and rushed over to Isauria.
    "We have to go," Rhaya blurted out, eyeing the top of the stairs. The man leaned against the wall as if waiting in line, but Rhaya knew better. He was watching them, waiting to make his move.
    "Oh, you don't have to hang out if you don't want to. I understand," Isauria said meekly.
    Rhaya placed her palms on the table and leaned over her companion, speaking in hushed tones but with urgency. "No, we have to go, Izzy. There's a man upstairs, and he…." she trailed off, unsure how to explain how she knew he meant to hurt them without offering any evidence. "Just trust me. We have to get out of here and get to my Dad as soon as possible."
    As if on cue, Raemann came bursting through the door, scanning the few people downstairs until he found Rhaya and Isauria. He looked relieved, but then tensed and whipped around, his attention on the man at the top of the stairs. Rhaya tried not to gawk as she noticed Raemann's normally blue eyes were now fully black, as if a drop of ink fall into each of them. Rhaya pulled Isauria, who stared as well, to her feet and behind Raemann.
    "Where is Liam?" he asked Isauria.
    Isauria's jaw dropped. "How do you know my Dad?"
    "Never mind that," Raemann said with annoyance. "Are you scared?" He paused as Isauria nodded. "Good. Then he should be nearby. Now we are going to slowly make our way out the door. He will follow us, so once we are clear of the crowds we must hurry. Do you both understand?"
    Isauria started to protest, but Rhaya placed her hand on her arm to stop her, causing her to turn around. "What's—"
    "Just trust me." Rhaya eyes widened to convey the importance of her request. “Please.”
    Perhaps Isauria was in the shock from the turn of events, but she followed without any more protests. Rhaya reached out and grabbed her hand, linking their fingers together and giving them a reassuring squeeze. Once Raemann had led them outside, he grabbed Rhaya's arm and started to drag them off, muttering under his breath and using his other hand to dial numbers from his cell phone. He kept looking over his shoulder, which the girls did as well, but so far there was no sign of the man from the coffee shop following the unusual train of people moving along the sidewalk.
    "Dad?" Rhaya finally asked. "What's going on?"
    "Call Liam," he ordered Isauria, who did so without complaint. "You felt the same thing from that man as you did the other, didn't you?" Rhaya nodded, but he didn't see her and didn't seem to need an answer. "They're making their move. We were too careless."
    "Too careless about what?" Rhaya asked