"So if there were a forbidden spell that allowed a human to directly become a demon, I wouldn't be shocked. But it won't save you from me."
Luke's laugh was harsh. "Save me? You overestimate yourself."
He lunged with his massive wolf claws, now wreathed in embers of golden flame. Despite the thick, cloying air saturated with her toxins, he moved swiftly.
The heat radiating from his strike seared across the rainfall, turning droplets to steam in midair. For a split second, the golden flames licked at Sierra Ling's clothes, and she hissed in irritation.
Then her figure vanished. Luke's eyes flicked to his right, following the sudden swirl of purple poison gas as it congealed into Sierra Ling's silhouette once more. There was a burst of movement—like a serpent striking—before she appeared behind him, wearing a predatory grin.
"Since you won't come peacefully, you can die," she spat. "The second you let your guard down, I'll reduce you to a puddle."