An Excerpt from A Rose in Time by Laura M. Baird

“Am I the one under question, then?” She chuckled. Rose reached out again to stroke the side of Green, who seemed to hum at her touch. “Yer a magnificent creature. All of ye are. And why is it I’m no’ afraid?” Green leaned into her touch, and Rose had the urge to wrap her arms around his neck and hug him. If only her reach was that big. The best she could do was rest her arms against him and press her cheek against his skin. At this, Green seemed to purr louder, his side warming.

When Rose drew back, the other dragons lifted their heads to sniff the air. Suddenly, Rose found herself being lifted by Purple, who had deftly snagged the back of her dress and deposited her atop Green in the gentlest of moves. Before Rose even had time to protest, one by one, the dragons took the air, leaving Rose with no choice but to hang on for dear life.

The dragons soared and began chortling at one another as if communicating. They banked toward the mountain top, allowing Rose a sweeping view of the panorama below. As they circled, she caught sight of a man on horseback, racing across the meadow.
Where had he come from?

A colorful tartan wrapped around his waist, a black shirt covered his upper body, and he wielded a sword—nay, a claymore—in his right hand. Dark-brown hair flowed behind him, and even from her height atop Green, Rose was struck by the sight of his intense blue eyes meeting her gaze. Something inside her stirred. Something Rose couldn’t altogether identify.

Before she gave the highlander another thought, Green took a sharp turn and shot up into the clouds. Disappearing into them, she thought for sure they’d smack into hard rock. Only they didn’t. In fact, the dragons guided themselves into an opening in the mountain that spread out into an enormous cavern.

Landing smoothly, Green lowered himself to the slate floor, allowing Rose to slide from his back.

Her breaths came in a rush of excitement. “That was brilliant!” She smiled up at Green before looking to Purple and Red as well. And she could’ve sworn they smiled back.

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You can find Laura M. Baird at https://www.laurambairdauthor.com