Three Pines Review Novels & Stories

She looks so distraught again. Jared steals Rose's pizza causing her to protest and us to laugh. Sarah eats but very little. I watch Abby nibble at her food and watch my girls eat with the guys. I love these three ladies so much and I hope I don't lose them. "let's get home so we can put our stuff away and watch a movie ladies". We finish eating then Jake pays the bill. We head home and the girls put their new clothes away. We sit and watch Tangled and the girls go to bed afterwards.

“Isn’t it gorgeous? I’ll be there in three days, Nicole. Only. Three. Days.” She paged to the photo that showed the inside of the cabin, which featured an expansive fireplace and high ceilings made entirely of gorgeous oak. Thea had wanted to stay at one of the Mighty Pine cabins for over two years now. She’d finally been able to reserve one of the cabins a month ago, and she would be staying up in the Cascades all by her lonesome for two weeks. Nicole sighed. “Honey, we need to get you a date if you’re drooling over pine trees for the thousandth time this week. What’s so great about this place, anyway? It’s not like Washington doesn’t have trees all over the place.”

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'?

Theo complimented. I could feel the heat suddenly rising in both of my cheeks. He looked so good too. Just seeing his charming smile made my heart leap. “Thank you,” I replied, trying to sound calm. “You look good either.” “Thanks,” he said with a smile. As we chatted, a tall girl with fair skin and straight blonde hair approached. She wrapped her hands on Theo’s waist. He seemed surprise, but a flicker of affection lit his eyes as he realized who she was

Swerving to the right, I tried to hurry around the trio of snarky women when I felt sharp nails dig into my arm, stopping me. “Did you just try to cut us off?” a snappy voice, high pitch and chirping, scolded. It was the first woman, her honey-brown eyes flashed underneath harshly cut blond bangs as she pursed her glossy pink lips in disapproval. “The nerve of some people!”

It felt like spring. The next morning, the sky was the kind of bright that only came after a storm—sharp, endless blue stretched over the mountains like a fresh canvas. We didn’t speak much as we packed the last of our things, folding clothes with the easy rhythm of people who knew they were leaving something behind—but not everything. Before we left for the airport, we made one last stop. Four Pines. The drive was quiet, only the hum of the car and Pockets sighing contentedly in the backseat, nestled among bags. As we entered the preserve, the landscape transformed into pine needles and frozen earth, enveloped in a sacred hush.

I take a shaky step away from Theo, collecting myself, trying to regain my composure. He takes my hand and my mind goes to mush again. “C’mon,” Theo breathes, a devilish grin on his lips. He starts forward, tugging me with him. I finally snap out of my haze, drinking in my surroundings as we walk toward a drop-off, an incredible view of the forest spread before us below. “Is this…” I ask quietly. “Yeah,” he sighs. “Pine Mountain.” I can see why he’s been wanting to take me up here, why he likes coming here so much. It’s beautiful. The view stretches on for miles- lush green trees, sprawling landscapes, a winding river threading through. It’s so peaceful, serene.

Their scents drifted across the small room, and I realised that all of the triplets had an absolutely divine pine-forest kind of smell, yet different to each other. Where Thane's seemed autumnal - crisp, and misty, Cole's was bright and summery, and Finn's held the more fragrant notes of spring, still layered over that woodsy, pine forest kind of smell. I breathed them in deeply, enjoying them, then sighed and reached to turn the tap off. When I turned back, I found them both pulling off all of their clothes, grinning widely at me.

You're not even worthy to polish my shoes! 【The abandoned warehouse in the south district tonight. Come for your patrol, if you have the guts. I'll show you what a real Kindred elite is.】 【Seraphina! You actually dared to complain to the Prince that I tampered with your blood packs? Isn't high-purity vervain a better fit for trash like you than that other junk? You should get on your knees and thank me!】 【Oops, I accidentally led the hunters to you. With that laughable healing ability of yours, you should survive, right?】

Not quite steady. I didn't look at him for the rest of the drive. I couldn't. Because if I looked at him I was going to think about the way his fingers felt against my jaw and if I thought about that I was going to lose whatever fragile grip I still had on the lie that I didn't feel anything for the man my mother warned me about. Theo drove. The miles disappeared. The forest thickened. Silverpine Bridge appeared through the trees like something out of a story I'd outgrown. Old wooden planks crossing a narrow river between territories that belonged to no one. Remote. Isolated. The kind of place where secrets went to be exchanged.