do? What kind of curse did you just—”
“Nero…?”
Hope’s voice broke him out of his rage. He shoved Morten and ran to his wife. He knelt at her side and pulled her into his arms.
She was looking up at him.
His breath caught. His heart froze.
She was looking at him.
Emerald eyes were blinking into focus. Struggling to squint against the setting sun. But her gaze was roaming over his features. She reached up and placed her palms on his cheeks. She roamed his features with her fingertips like she did from time to time, as if she was trying to learn what he looked like.
But now…perhaps she was comparing notes.
“H…how…?” he whispered, feeling something break inside him.
“A gift from Morten. It’s temporary. It won’t last. Maybe an hour or two at most.” She smiled sadly. She stood, and he rose with her. She looked him over, taking in every ounce of him. “But it’s worth it.” She laughed, sounding overwhelmed. She smiled, but there were tears in her eyes. “Oh…fates, Nero…I do quite like what I see, I will be honest. Are you what qualifies for gorgeous?”
He laughed with her. He rushed forward and kissed her and dragged her by the wrist through the reception hall. She gasped behind him, clearly taking in the world for the first time. But he had a goal in mind. He pushed past the guests and visitors until he stood in the main hallway. There was a huge mirror there. He thrust her in front of it.
“I’m not gorgeous, Hope. You are.”
She staggered and came to a full stop in front of the full-length mirror. Wide-eyed, she reached a trembling hand to touch her own face. But, like the frustratingly practical woman she was, she soon looked away, taking in the frame around the mirror and the flowers that were arranged everywhere with both eyes and fingers. It occurred to him that she might not be able to identify anything by sight. She had to touch things to know what they were. She saw the roses and walked up to them, touching them. He trailed behind her, still holding her hand. “Roses. That’s…that’s red.”
“That’s red,” he confirmed. “Your eyes are green. The carpet is gold and brown.” He pointed around the room. “Orange. Blue. He’s wearing gray. That’s white…that’s black. That’s silver.”
“The sky!” She was suddenly the one dragging him. They burst back out onto the balcony. Everyone was looking at them both like they were insane. He couldn’t care less—besides, he was used to it.
Morten was already gone. Good. Nero didn’t know how to feel about this temporary gift—or a curse, or whatever it was—but he still knew he hated that creature. But all those thoughts were pushed from his mind as Hope looked out at the city of Rome and the sunset. It was already turning beautiful brilliant shades of vermillion, orange, yellow and purple. But some of the sky was still blue. Her shoulders shook, and he knew she was crying. She really did hate crying, he knew.
He shielded her with his body, standing at her back, and wrapped his arms around her. He wiped the tears from her cheeks, careful not to smudge her makeup.
“Morten said that if I was strong enough to hold on to this…I might be able to see for two hours. Will that be long enough to see the stars?” Her voice was strained, overfull with emotions he couldn’t even begin to try to name. She was a little sad she wouldn’t have the opportunity to see Brutus and Cassius.
“I think so.”
She smiled. “That would be lovely.” She turned to face him. She reached up to pull him down to her and kissed him. She looked him over after they broke away. She stroked her hand through his hair, as if desperately memorizing him. “So that’s the dreaded eye, hmm? It’s not really red, is it?”
“It’s orange.”
She ran her thumb along his cheekbone. “It’s stunning. It suits you. But I know why people must be terrified of it.”
“Are you?”
“No. What damage could you do to me in two hours that you haven’t already done to me before?” She smirked and patted him on the chest. She touched the flowers pinned to his tuxedo. She was exploring the world around her.
“We could find out.” He grinned wickedly. “I’d use it on you right now, but I think that’s bad manners…”
She laughed. Her cheeks turned a little pink. From his innuendo or his grin, he didn’t know. She turned her