(James)Serena tips her flute against my glass. “Do not say anything motivational,” she warns, eyes bright. “It’ll ruin the vibe.”“I was going to say you look happy,” I answer.“That’s allowed. That’s observational.” She shifts closer on the velvet, knees angled toward me, shoulder easy against the backrest. “You know what I keep thinking about?”“Declaring a global embargo on my mother?”She laughs. “Tempting, but no. Lapland.”I groan-laugh into my whiskey. “Sven?”“Sven,” she repeats, savoring it like a dessert with an indecent center. “Do you remember the first three things he said to us?”“‘Yeah, pretty much everything or die.” I pitch my voice into granite. “You city folk, so jumpy… Damn-right we were jumpy… I mean… He had an axe.”“One…‘start fire or die’. Two…‘cloudberry spirit, drink for heat or die’. Three…‘if Sven want you dead, already crushed throats by now’,” Serena growls out.“Which, to be fair, is comprehensive hospitality for Northern Lapland.”Her grin goes sideway
Last Updated : 2025-09-11 Read more