FORTRESS WALLS
~NICHOLAS'S POV~
The fortress felt like a prison, and I could see it in Simone's eyes.
She stood at the window of her room, staring out at the mountain peaks that surrounded us like ancient guardians. Two days had passed since we had arrived at Castello Nero, and she was already restless.
"It's different from the villa," she said without turning around. "More... confined."
"It's safer," I replied, though I knew that wasn't what she wanted to hear. "These walls have protected my family for four centuries."
"Protected them from what? The outside world?"
Her voice carried an edge I hadn't heard before. The isolation was getting to her, just as it had gotten to me when I was younger.
"From enemies," I said simply. "From people who would see us dead."
Simone finally turn
