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“You probably want to buckle up. I’ve only had about a hundred hours of driving.”

“That’s a hundred more than me.”

Juniper’s stare met hers for the briefest moment, and she chuckled. The sound was sweet and natural, utterly contradictory to the chaos surrounding them. Then the moment was gone, and they were backing out of the parking spot and whipping into traffic on the crowded interstate.

Adriel’s claws extended, digging into the hard plastic surface in front of her. “Must you be so reckless?”

She slunk low in her seat and tugged at the belt by the door as her body leaned with every turn. Her stomach rolled, and she gasped, nauseated by the motion.

Tires screeched as they nearly collided with a larger truck. Her heart thumped hard in herchest as the car barely escaped a head-on collision.

“I told you, it’s been a minute since I drove. I’m still finding my bearings.” Cars blared their horns, and people shouted as Juniper wove her way through traffic and picked up speed.

“I’m not sure I believe you’ve ever driven before—watch out!”

Another oncoming vehicle nearly collided with theirs. “Get out of my way, ass-clown!”

They swerved around several cars, picking up speed. Every muscle in Adriel’s body locked as she braced for impact, but Juniper wove fast enough through traffic that they were never hit.

“Music?”

“Pardon?” Adriel hadn’t blinked since they got on the road.

“You can unclench, Ade. I’ve got this.” Her hand flicked a dial on the control board, and a demonic sound filled the car. The screen above the buttons illuminated with the words,It’s My Life. “Perfect.” She twisted the dial and shouted with the voice wailing from the speakers,“I ain’t gonna live forever!”

She was having some sort of fit. Adriel had never heard or seen anything like it. The melodic pounding that beat through her chest electrified the air like a bolt of lightning. She wasn’t sure if she should cover her ears or roll out of the vehicle to escape the noise.

The music was utter chaos—rapid, aggressive shouting—yet Juniper seemed fully aware of thewords. By her smile, she appeared to be enjoying the riotous sound. The tempo guided her speed as they wove through traffic, unimpeded by fear.

Adriel’s breath quickened as she watched in enchanted horror. Juniper came alive as she sang, her eyes vibrant, and her voice an uncaged bird that morphed into a mighty lioness.

Her hands pounded the wheel that drove the car, and she danced like a woman set free. Free of all of it. The suppression, the subjugation, the endless, crippling indignities. How did she do it? It was as if a switch had been shut off the moment the music turned on. Rage mixed with joy in equal parts. She was happy yet full of fire and vengeance.

She had never witnessed a female behaving so freely. There was no shame, only vibrance. She was loud and alive. Without the hindrance of propriety, she appeared unapologetically stronger than any female Adriel had ever met. And for the briefest moment, that gave her hope.

Adriel’s mouth curved into a smile. She might actually find her way out of this mess and survive. Perhaps it was right to trust this strange woman. Maybe they could be stronger together. A witch and an immortal, what a preposterous thought.

Laughter bubbled in her belly as a strange sense of assurance came over her amid the absolute chaos. Any belief that the female form was somehow vulgar and needed to be hidden suddenly seemed laughable in the witch’s shamelesspresence. Women like Juniper clearly gave no thought to such claims, while every bit of Adriel’s teachings since coming to the New World had been aboutkappsand coverings, modesty over comfort, virtue and duty before dreams or independence.

The Order demanded females hide any show of glory. Her life had been tied into a constricting moral corset for centuries, but the further away from The Order they drove, the easier and deeper Adriel was able to breathe.

This unmatched energy about the witch went beyond magick. Both captivating and stunning, she was radiant. Confident and wildly ungraceful yet beautiful in her recklessness, she was unshackled and limitless. It was a magnificent show that stole Adriel’s tension away. And, as she stared at the wild display, her mouth curved with a smile.

“I fucking missed music!” Juniper twisted the dial again, and the volume turned deafening. “Do you like Bon Jovi?” she yelled over the riotous noise. “What am I saying? You’ve probably never heard anything like this before.”

This was not what their music resembled on the farm. Not at all. And Adriel had a hard time categorizing it as better or worse. The panoramic contrasts were too broad for her mind to measure, so rather than judge it one way or another, she simply observed the effect it had on Juniper and laughed.

“You’re possessed.”

“Girl,” she laughed. “I’ve never felt more free! Hold on tight.” Gripping the wheel, the wild witch veered onto a ramp that led to a massive thoroughfare with multiple lanes.

Adriel’s eyes widened as the dials rose with their speed.

“Nothing beats fast cars and the right song!” Juniper yelled, pressing a button to lower the glass.

Wind filled the car, and Juniper’s tangled hair whipped toward Adriel as the witch laughed like a lunatic. The vehicle whizzed beyond the traffic, and they burst onto an open road, zipping past the trees. For a moment, it felt like they were flying.

How? How was the girl so happy when she had been a captive for years, lived in dark squalor, grieved the death of her entire family, and survived the countless inquisitions of the elders?