“Can you blame me for loving something that’s so—demigod-like?” He cocked his head contemplatively. “That phrasing is unwieldy. Let’s shorten to godlike.”

“If self-love had mass, yours would create a singularity that would warp space-time and destroy the universe.”

“Has anyone ever said you’re charming when you talk about science?”

“No.”

“Unsurprising.” He folded his fingers behind his head, in all likelihood trying to give off the best view of his muscled arms. “If you don’t believe me about the glamour, why don’t you spray that purgator dust on me? If it’s a spell, you’ll see the real me. The demonic, twisted Caine that lurks below the surface, warped by magic.”

“Since you have an aura, the dust will burn you.”

“I can handle a little pain.”

“Anything for your vanity, right?”

She snatched her purgator dust from the coffee table, pausing for a moment at the self-satisfied smirk on his face. This would hurt—a lot. What if the agony flipped a switch in his brain? He could slaughter her in an instant.

Still, maybe now was a good time to practice that whole fear-mastery thing. She had to get used to hurting the bad guys.

She strengthened her resolve and pushed the button. Shiny red dust poured from the canister, coating his skin. A flicker of pain registered on his face, though in reality he must be withstanding indescribable pain. All this to prove to her that he was pretty.

And, gods damn it, he was right. The guy was stunning, and it wasn’t because of magic. She sucked in a breath. “Fine. We’ve established that you’re not deformed.”

He brushed the dust off his face. “I think we agreed on the term ‘godlike’.”

Rosalind wanted to hide her face. This was mortifying.

As the last of the sun dipped below the horizon, Aurora strode into the room, clad in a tight silver dress. “What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing to Caine, Hunter?”

“It’s fine,” Caine said. “I asked her to do it.”

Aurora crossed her arms. “I don’t even want to know.”

Caine rose, visibly trying to manage the pain. He soaked a kitchen cloth in water and began cleaning himself off. “Would you like to help me clean off my body, Rosalind, since you’re such a fan of my godlike physique?”

Gods, kill me now.

“I’ve walked into something really weird, haven’t I?” Aurora said. “Please don’t tell me you fed his ego.”

With the dust washed off him, Caine smiled. “Our Hunter has spent a little too much time among the impure, and now she fancies a bit of shadow mage. Her mind must be corrupted like ours. Funny. I wouldn’t have guessed a follower of the True God, not to mention one from lofty Maremount nobility, would be so easily warped. I suppose, in the face of godlike beauty, a little lust is only to be expected even in the purest of creatures. I wonder how far we can take that.”

She shielded her eyes with her hand. What an ass.