The Shadow Mark: A Shadow World Novel

By Cheyenne Reed

No matter how much Galidor tries to be just another face in the crowd, his unusual physical attributes make him stand out. If his true identity is revealed, no one will accept him, and many will want to annihilate him, but not Haruko.
Haruko Suzayaki possesses an extraordinary sensitivity toward emotions. Instead of being repelled by Galidor, Haruko finds herself getting drawn toward him. It does not take long for Haruko to see that Galidor is not the monster he thinks himself to be. He may possess the power of darkness, but his heart is not swathed in darkness.
Since their first meeting, Galidor has put his own life on the line to rescue Haruko. He knows he is falling for someone he is not supposed to be with. However, the Apex Neuroduction Corporation is hard-pressed to stop this dark hero from protecting the one he loves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504933674

Cheyenne Reed

For eight years, Cheyenne Reed has been traveling down the rabbit hole, dreaming up magical worlds and extraordinary characters to fill her fictions. At fifteen, Cheyenne published four books through a self-publishing services website, and at seventeen, she was accepted as an author with Publish America with her book Tenshi. Now with AuthorHouse, she is publishing the sequel to The Shadow Mark, called Madness. Cheyenne always found her escape within the pages of fiction novels, and those adventures convey themselves not only in her writing but also in her personality. She is not only passionate but hardworking and dedicated as well. Living in the small country town of Chapel Hill, Tennessee, Cheyenne spends her spare time writing, with a hot cup of green tea. She is not only a writer but also an artist, a soccer player, and an aspiring mechanical engineer at Middle Tennessee State University.

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2015 Cheyenne Reed. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/112015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-3366-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-3367-4 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 I’m Haruko Suzayaki!

Chapter 2 Rogan and the Skate Date

Chapter 3 Cursed Beast?

Chapter 4 The Dream’s Capture

Chapter 5 What Happened?

Chapter 6 The Escaping Argument

Chapter 7 A New Day and a New Family

Chapter 8 The Note

Chapter 9 Come Back!

For my parents, thank you for believing in me.

And with thanks to Daniela Galidor and all of my friends, the experiences and inspiration you all give me is irreplaceable.

CHAPTER 1

I’m Haruko Suzayaki!

Galidor walked through the streets of Ashville, his purple hair swishing with the sudden gust of wind; many people stared at the unusual color of his hair. His eyes were electric blue, he changed them from their crimson red color so he would look more human, and also his golden horns weren’t visible to the human eye. The tie of his Grey Oaks school uniform blew in the wind hitting him in the face.

Stupid thing… he said in frustration Why is there always a tie? he hissed to himself; he wanted to rip the tie off, but the watching eyes of pedestrians stopped him from doing so. Instead he kept walking with his head held high; he didn’t look back to the curious glances instead he slammed his hands into his pocket with frustration, walking passed more and more curious stares; a girl ran up to him smiling she had the uniform of a Eastwood High School student on.

You have very pretty eyes! she said giggling Did you dye your hair? she asked; he looked down at her, she was very short compared to him, her small size made him doubt that she was in high school.

No, I didn’t.. he replied looking at her and then away; even though he had a nagging doubt, he was actually surprised she had spoken to him. Normally his dark and mysterious demeanor scared people off not draw them in. She smiled happily at him and put her hands behind her back.

I’m Haruko Suzayaki! What’s your name? she said excitedly as if he had just become her best friend; he contemplated her for a moment looking her over, something was off about her, but he decided to finally reply.

Galidor. He said simply; Haruko smiled more at him.

You have a very funny name. she stood on her tip toes reaching her hand up to his head; he took a step back, not in a rude way. His face remained blank; Haruko wobbled forward on her tip toes Can I please touch your hair? she asked sweetly.

Why? It is just hair, it does nothing special he said in a deep voice; she giggled and stood up further on her tip toes finally reaching his horn grabbing it lightly.

Got it! she said happily and looked into Galidor’s eyes with her silvery green ones, his head moved forward when she grabbed his horn and his eyes locked with hers, the red becoming visible to her.

So you can see them… he whispered, more to himself than to her.

Yep hehe she softly rubbed the horn in her hand a soft smile on her face I have a friend with fox ears. she said as she looked into his crimson red eyes.

Really? he asked in a low voice; he wished she would let go of his horn. Her closeness made him nervous.

I am making you nervous, aren’t I? a faint blush appeared on her pale cheeks as she smiled and giggled softly again; he didn’t reply and looked away as if he was oblivious to her question.

Come on I can tell I am making you nervous. She said and moved so she was looking in his eyes again It’s my power… I can tell what people are feeling. She said with a soft smile.

Well I’ll be damned… he muttered to himself and smirked; her smile was innocent and cute as she rubbed his horn still, it felt funny against her skin almost like ivory.

Hehe so tell me… Why are you nervous? she asked a smile still on her face, her voice sounding a tad mischievous.

I’m not used to people grabbing my horns… Galidor said and smiled softly at her the nervousness was visible on his face.

I’m sorry. Haruko let go of his horn and looked at him apologetically.

It’s okay he said as he straightened up and moved his neck around in a circle; Haruko smiled up at him a soft blush spreading on her cheeks, Is it okay if I walk with you?

Sure… he replied as he placed his hands into his pockets again walking forward; she mimicked him putting her hands in her jacket pockets and started smiling more. He glanced at her as they walked; he tried to shield his feelings from her, but he didn’t know if it was working. She sighed looking at him.

You need to stop suppressing your feelings it won’t work… she looked back forward again; he sighed and looked at a bakery’s window, his stomach growled loudly when he saw the chocolate cakes. Haruko giggled and skipped into the bakery leaving Galidor in the street for a few moments, but came back out with two pieces of chocolate cake.

That wasn’t necessary he told her as she handed him a piece of cake

I thought I would since you seem to love chocolate cake so much. she giggled happily as she took a large bite of her piece getting a little frosting on her nose; he chuckled and took a bite from the cake.

How much was it? he asked as he got money out of his pocket; she waved her hand.

I know the owner… He is one of us you see so he said it was on the house. she lied but giggled at him like she wasn’t; he raised an eyebrow, but placed the money back in his pocket. He finished his cake and looked at her; he waited for her to say something. Haruko ate the rest of her cake not noticing she had icing on her nose and looked at Galidor with a childish smile, What grade are you in?

Twelfth. he replied and looked at her nose; he moved forward and wiped the icing off her nose with his index finger and then he licked his finger. She blushed and looked away covering her nose she glanced at him once or twice but didn’t make eye contact; he didn’t look at her, instead he kept walking oblivious to her blush.

What grade are you in? he asked, continuing the conversation as they walked.

I-I’m in tenth, but I am transferring schools soon. she uncovered her nose still not looking at him her blush getting brighter; he nodded and looked at the sky. It was getting darker and he wondered what to do next; Haruko looked forward and stopped in her tracks her eyes looked scared as she looked at three boys on bikes at the next intersection.

Hey, is everything alright? Galidor looked at her as he asked; she blinked and looked at him with a smile.

Yeah everything’s alright. Why wouldn’t it be alright? I mean it’s not like anything dangerous is around… Eh heh… she scratched the back of her head reluctantly walking forward her smile nervous and scared. He tilted his head to the side inquiringly and walked behind her, looking