In The Pines Novels & Stories

Harley~ Cedar planks, rough as bark, cut a jagged silhouette against a mountain bruised with the coming twilight's purple. My gaze darts constantly between windows, fighting to catch the panoramic view from every angle. It's both eerie and fascinating the way the mist coils around the thick trunks of the pines surrounding the cabin. When Nick pulls the passenger door open, the air hits my nose. Wonderful, sharp, yet thin, a breeze flows by, carrying with it just a hint of damp earth and crushed needles. Smog-free and a welcome breath, I try to inhale it all at once.

Pine said and I couldn't believe he was only talking to me now. I mean he has been watching me go through that pain alone. We were supposed to be a team. “Why are you even talking to me?" I asked him. "Who else would you talk to if not me? I just couldn't bear to see Aria crying. I just get weak every time I look at her these days,” Pine replied. "Oh, and I'm trying my best to be there for her. Once I get those babies you're not going to get a chance to play with them.”

PIETRO GIACOMETTI Peaches thinks she broke last night, she is currently thinking of how she lost control but she has no idea and no clue that she was still far from losing control. She was still far from the things I had ready for her and she was totally unprepared for the amount of control she would lose over herself and the amount I would lose over her.

Maybe because some secrets deserve witnesses. Jack shifts his weight but says nothing. Cole doesn't move at all. So I sit. And Atlas sits beside me, knees wide, hands folded loosely between them. His posture is at ease, but I feel the tension beneath his skin like heat radiating off a stone. Dad leans forward, elbows on his knees. “We were at Hollow Pines,” he says. “North ridge. It was autumn, and a storm was at its loose.” "Hollow Pines??" Atlas questions. "That is close to the witch's border. No one goes there."

The old guy also called the names of the people on Ley’s side. After the exchange of greetings, the oldest looked at Ley. “So what’s the reason you requested a video call? Do you know how hard it has been to set up this thing? And it’s very cold here, so old bones like me would always feel like it’s very torturous to move.” The City of Pines was famous for being cold all-year round due to its high location and even on summer, nights there would compel one to turn the house's heater on. Ley raised an eyebrow, his glance asking 'why go there in the first place'?

"Get us to the tree-line." ​As the SUV roared to life, Leo looked back at the Miller Tower. It was no longer pulsing red, but it looked broken, a monument to a family that had tried to be gods and ended up as orphans. ​The Cabin in the Pines: ​Three hours later, the rain had turned to a thick, mountain mist. The SUV groaned as it climbed the unpaved trail toward the highest peaks of the Silverwood valley. Here, the pines grew so thick they choked out the light of the city below. The scent of damp earth and pine needles was so strong it made Leo’s wolf-half stir, a low, deep rumble in his chest that he hadn't felt since the fight in the Hall.

It’s a different world to me, but I care about them, and what they’re doing is legal. Rack drives through winding roads that lead to Strawberry and Pine. We left before dinner and Rack is taking me to a steakhouse in Pine. The mountains are beautiful with the scent of pine trees in the wind. The temperature drops ten degrees. We have extra gear in the saddlebags in case it’s colder on our return trip.

The forest path smells wrong. Roselyn's boots crunch over frost as she walks beside Pete through the dense pine woods bordering Fang territory. The scent of decay and wet earth should be normal for a Friday afternoon in the Pacific Northwest, but something metallic and sharp cuts through the air, making Cicilia stir uneasily in her mind. Pete is talking about the upcoming marking ceremony, his voice smooth and reassuring, but Roselyn can't focus on his words.

"We're almost there." Through the trees, I caught glimpses of a sprawling structure—weathered gray stone and dark timber, designed to blend with the forest rather than stand apart from it. Whispering Pines Estate. The name had seemed innocuous in reports, but now it loomed in my mind like a designation from a horror story.

Owen hesitates. And that’s when I know— Whatever this is? It’s *not* going to be simple. We stop just outside of a small town, tucked in the valley, barely more than a few streets and a handful of buildings. Owen stretches as he steps out of the car, exhaling. “Welcome to Red Pines.” Levi shuts the car door, watching him carefully. “This is where your guy is?” Owen nods. “Yeah. But don’t expect a warm welcome.”