At first, the police and paramedics had thought the building had exploded with the sudden appearance of blue flame lining the inside of the building. Everyone jumped back, including the shop owner who half-stumbled away. Screams punctured the steady call of sirens.

However, no knock back followed the explosion. No force of energy cracked more walls, shattered more windows, or knocked anyone off their feet. It was as though someone switched on a rather large gas fireplace, utterly uneventful except that these pillars of flame were huge, lining the inside perimeter of the building.

Alexander also startled, not any more prepared for the sudden supernatural event than anyone outside. There was no denying that this woman somehow summoned these flames; that wave of her hand was no coincidence. With new resolve, he tightened his grip on the metal bar, doing his best to appear angry and fearless. Fuck chivalry, he should have hit her after all. With all of the things she had done already, how could he have not defended himself more properly sooner? As he backed away, he inwardly chided himself for his foolishness.

Then she made the comment that chilled his blood. He froze dead in his tracks, sweat beading on his skin, as he realized that this woman, this [i]creature[/i] had come exclusively for him.

"I'm just a man," he said, and paused to swallow, not liking how shaky his voice had become. A little voice in his head reminded him that this wasn't true, not entirely, though he didn't know what he really was or what was going on. He pushed his ignorance forward. "I'm broke, I'm broken, I'm nothing. Fuck, of all the people in Vegas you could have picked, [i]any one of them[/i] would be a better choice than me."

He inched towards the flames as he spoke, unable to feel their heat. Stepping backwards over debris slowed his progress.

Questions hung at the tip of his tongue. Where did she come from? Why did she choose him? What did she want him for? These were questions he was not yet prepared to ask, afraid that they would all lead to only one conclusion: he was going to die.