His kisses tasted like ash, and there was an irresistible flavor of danger to Pyro that Jeremy found immensely appealing. In that sense he reminded Jeremy of Anna, for it was her aura of mystery and menace that had first drawn him to her. But Anna was sweeter and softer than Pyro, and as far as temperament went, Jeremy could help but compare him to Vicki. Both of them had the same quick smile and both were cloaked in the scent of smoke and flames.

Pyro was different than Vicki, though, more passionate, more deadly. Vicki, at her core, had been sad and lonely; bitterly pulling herself away from a world she thought she'd never be accepted into. Pyro's fury at the world was hot and bright- instead of receding into the shadows as Vicki had done, he chose to lash out at the world, trying to scorch it with fire and rage.

But while his anger had been fierce, his laughter and smiles were given freely, and his promises and whispered words seemed to shine like the tongues of flame that were his to command. Something about him had seemed off, to Jeremy, somehow wrong, and it had taken him a long time before he realized what it was.

His promises, like his kisses, they had tasted of ash, and as day came, they'd always fall away, forgotten on the nearest breeze.