"Open your eyes." He said softly. "I can't." I replied. "Look below you, at the water." He tightened his grip around me. I opened my eyes, looking at the glistening water below. I shrieked, flailing in his arms. "Stop doing that! I'll drop you." Walker grinned. "Don't joke, I'll kill you." I glared, turning my head to look at him. I stared at the rushing water below us, fascinated at the color. It was so blue, and I could see rocks peeking up through the too. "Your wings are beautiful." I whispered reaching up and brushing my hand against his left wing. Walker put his chin on my shoulder, leaning his head against mine. "Walker-" I didn't get to finish my sentence as something slammed into us from behind. I screamed, clutching onto Walker, desperately trying to get a solid grip. I slipped, falling from his arms, and my breathing became quicker. I looked up, seeing just clouds moving slowly, oblivious to what was happening around them. I shut my eyes, and hoped death would be quick.

Aislinn Blake, age fifteen, has been able to fly for as long as she can remember. She possesses the wings of a peregrine falcon, fourteen feet across, that allow her to slice through the air at up to two hundred miles per hour. For Aislinn, flying is life's greatest joy... until it turns into a nightmare. The arrival of a mysterious girl marks a turning point in Aislinn's life, and suddenly she must run from everything she has ever known to escape those who want her dead. A cataclysmic chain of events has been set in motion in The Winged, the epic first chapter of The Champions series.

In a world where four dominate races struggle to live together and survive, anything is possible. When Araceli was only seven years old, she was kidnapped by a group of Vroulk, a species opposite of her own, the winged race of the Pavox. Taken to live in one of their cities as a slave, Ari's captives give her a new name for a new life: Kyra. Ten years and two masters pass and all is as it always is, struggling to do her job, and try to stay out of as much trouble as possible. Then one day, another stranger comes into her life, her master's nephew. During his stay the manor, Ari can't get over the feeling that something is different about this Vroulk, or human as they call themselves and his kindness towards her is a foreign idea to her. Soon, Ari will be in for the surprise and adventure of her life, where she will come to question all she has ever known in her life, both free and enslaved, Her journey will be one of turbulent skies and learned acceptance. But with a little trust and willingness, anything is possible... even love.

*Sequel to Paladin* The kingdom of Thule stands on the brink of civil war between two armies -- the Paladins and the Uriel -- each claiming the right to serve as Thule's protector. Once a Paladin trainee, Lady Samantha of Haywood -- Sam -- has been named a traitor to king and country by the Paladins' High Commander, with a bounty set on her head. Only Sam and her friends know what the people of Thule do not: the High Commander is no ordinary man but something more--something evil. The supposed military hero holds a dark alliance with the demons that have ravaged mankind for millennia, commanding them as easily as he does his men. Worse, he can control Braeden, Sam's half-demon lover, through blood magic long thought extinct. Sam and Braeden set sail across the sea in hopes of finding a way to nullify the High Commander's power. But the secrets they uncover reveal Thule faces an even greater threat. They must return to Thule and warn the Uriel...before it's too late.