8-30-13 only! #free Kindle download: Caleo (Leech) by James Crawford

book description:
Every High School has their social outcasts. The band nerds, the math geeks, the chess club, the girl that chews her hair, but at Butler High, even the creepy nose picker in the chess club is more popular than Caleo Anima. No matter what he did, his pale skin, snow white hair, and piercing blue eyes always made him an easy target. He used to think that the only way things could get worse would be if someone found out that he was gay, but that isn't even the tip of the iceberg of problems after a mysterious stranger shows up and changes Caleo’s life forever. Hidden amongst our society, a secret and magical race of people known as ‘Leeches’, have been engaging in civil war for decades. Both sides are desperately searching for a weapon with unlimited power that will give them the advantage they need to rule their world. This wouldn’t mean anything to Caleo, except for one problem...He is that weapon! Forget making it through High School. Caleo has bigger problems! As the search for him goes on, the world is quickly crumbling around him. He's now fighting for his life and the life of what little family he has left. With the help of new friends, he has little time to try and master his newly found powers as he tries to figure out who he can trust, who is trying to use him, and who just wants him dead. One wrong step and being the awkward pale outcast will be the LEAST of his worries.
excerpt:
“Don’t move! I’m coming down.” Caleo slid his legs over the edge and pushed off, landing in a crouched position beside Jack on the cement floor.
Looking around, Caleo saw a large fire roaring uncontrollably on the far side of the room.
“Well, how are we going to get out of here?” Caleo coughed through the smoke, pointing at the fire. “That’s where the stairs were.”
“Go check out the rest of the room. See if there’s anything we can use.” Jack strained to sit up.
“Okay, wait here,” Caleo instructed, helping Jack to a nearby wall before he walked off into the darkness only to return a minute later.
“Well, there’s a washer, dryer, and a small TV, but I didn’t see anything that could …” Caleo paused, hearing a voice from the flames.
“Jack, did you hear that?” Caleo asked, standing back up. “I think I heard a voice.”
“No.” Jack stretched his neck, trying to look through the black smoke and high flames.
They stood in silence for a moment before Caleo said, “I guess it was nothing. We need to find a way out of here.”
“Well, I’m open to suggestions. We’re going to be cooked if we stay down here much longer.” Jack wiped the sweat from his face with Caleo’s pants, which he still had wrapped in his hand.
Something seemed odd about that and Caleo looked at Jack more closely and saw that his body was soaked with sweat. Then he looked down at his own body realized that he didn’t even notice it was hot; he felt comfortable and he wasn’t even sweating. Although, with the smoke in the room Caleo was finding it harder to breathe and his eyes were stinging, but it was as if the fire wasn’t even producing heat for him. Then, he remembered.
“I can control the temperature around me,” Caleo whispered to himself. “Jack, you wait here and don’t panic. I'm going to find a way out.” Caleo smiled, walking towards the fire. Something inside of him telling him he could do it.
“Caleo, where are you going?” Jack yelled, trying to climb to his feet, but the pain was too much and he fell back to the ground.
Caleo heard Jack, but didn't turn around. He wanted to put his power to the test. He knew he could do it. He walked up to the fire and stopped. He was inches away and he still felt no heat. Curious, he stuck his hand into the flames and when he felt no pain he withdrew it.
“Here goes nothing.”
He took a step forward and was surrounded by the flames, but felt only sting of the smoke in his eyes and the pressure from the lack of oxygen as he gasped for breath. Caleo took a few more steps into the fire and stopped when he realized that the hem of his loose fitting Spider-Man boxers were on fire. Reflexively his hand flew to smack out the flame, when he noticed that any time his hand got close the flames the flames were extinguished.
Okay, Caleo thought. Now how do I do that to the rest of the room?
Closing his eyes, Caleo concentrated.
Heat is one of the three elements of fire. Get rid of the heat. Put the fire out. That’s why the fire went out on my boxers, Caleo thought, his mind making the connection between the extinguished flame and his power.
Think cold. Blizzard. Sled riding. No, I’ve got to think colder.
He opened his eyes and stuck his arms straight out from his sides, palms flat and facing the floor.
“Okay, concentrate, Caleo. Blizzard, blizzard, Jack falling into the frozen-over creek last winter and having to run all the way home dripping wet.”
Caleo felt a chill run up his spine, then slowly, the fire around him started to go out. “It’s working!” Caleo coughed out excitedly.
He slowly walked around the room, arms outstretched like an airplane, putting out the fire within a three foot radius of his body. Once all of the fires were out, Caleo leaned up against a wall, exhausted and panting for breath in the cool, pitch black room. He could no longer feel his energy being sapped to sustain his power. He laid his head back and rested his eyes.
where to grab a FREE copy (today only!):

• Amazon

about the author:

James Crawford
James Crawford lives in Horn Lake Mississippi with his partner of 7 years. he began writing the Leech series in 2007 after having a reoccurring dream about about a young boy with skin whiter then a sheet. the story inspired a writing frenzy that is shaping into the Leech series.