"I can't believe I'm doing this." I said looking up through limp sweaty strands of hair. "It must mean I love you a whole lot." I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the carpet of her floorboard, there could be no doubt.

Lila laughed at me. "Of course you do."

I rolled my eyes and went back to scrubbing. Maybe it was heat exhaustion or the fumes from the carpet cleaner but we were both getting a little silly. Of course it could also have something to do with the fact that I'd just told her I was getting married...and to whom. I always get a strange reaction when I tell people that I'm marrying Lucifer.

I straightened up and tossed the scrub brush down. "This is ridiculous. Remind me again why we aren't making one of the guys do it?"

Doe brown eyes glanced up at me peeking from behind the steering wheel. "Because," she said very carefully, "they wouldn't do it right. Besides its fun."

I looked at her disgusted. "Fun? You call this fun? Being on your hands and knees and scrubbing for all your worth in the Florida heat? I'd hate to see what your idea of torture is." I replied rolling my neck from side to side. We'd been at it for almost an hour now and, while we had made a lot of progress, detailing a car takes a lot of time and effort.

She glared at me and commanded, "Get back to work."

I saluted and said "Aye, Aye captain," and went back to scrubbing. "I knew I was good for something, even if it is only scrubbing carpets." I said sighing. She just laughed at me again.

I scrubbed a little harder when I heard the door open. I glanced up and had to grin. I mean truly who could resist grinning at such a face. Okay so most girls wouldn't have grinned but I'm not most girls and I've known Pug for years. He may be drop dead gorgeous but he's only a friend. "What's up?" I asked standing up. I was thankful...very very thankful for the reprieve.

He looked disgruntled. Luce had probably ordered him to come relieve me. "Luce says you should take a break."

I rolled my eyes. The man could be sooo demanding. I mean really, didn't he think I had enough sense to know when to take a break…don't answer that. I looked over at Lila. "Why don't we go in and grab something to drink."

She looked over her shoulder at Pug and then back at me. "I know what I'd like a sip of."

I laughed at her. "Riiight...trust me he'd taste crispy." I said trying to keep a straight face. Pug just glared at me then turned and went back inside. I rolled my eyes...demons have such thin skins.

Lila and I went back inside the house. She's a very old friend of mine, depending on how you look at it. For me, it'd been ages...and I do mean ages, since I'd seen her, but for her and the rest of the world here it'd only been about two years. Time is a funny thing. You can bend and stretch it to your will if you know where to grab hold of it. I don't personally know how to do that but fortunately Chris does. That's why he's in charge of these things. Thinking of him brought up a sore spot, well not sore exactly, just sad. The Avi’s are my family, but I am not sure if any of them will be coming to the wedding since most of them are opposed to the union. Chris tended to let me make my own choices and was there whenever I needed him, but he didn't impose his will or opinions...though he could have. Dare was angry though and for several reasons. He’s my best friend and my partner but he isn't speaking to me right now. I sighed. It didn't help thinking about things I couldn't change.

Anyway, Lila and I are old friends. We'd gone to high school together. In our senior year she'd hooked up with this total bastard by the name of Aaron. Big mistake, though we didn't know that at the time. This had happened before both of us died so we were young and stupid. We thought Aaron had been all the things a girl dreams of. Maybe we should have had a clue since we never saw him during the day but we were in high school and he was twenty-three. We thought he had college classes during the day, at least that's what he told us. Well it turned out he was a vamp...go figure.

I don't really want to go into the specifics but needless to say he'd turned Lila right around graduation. Not a bad age to be for the rest of your life...well to LOOK for the rest of your life. You couldn't pay me enough to be eighteen again. I'm much happier with four thousand nine hundred fifty three years under my belt. At least I think that's how old I am. At two hundred twenty one we stopped using candles and at three hundred fifty nine I quit counting.So, it would have been fine for him to make her a vampire. No matter what, I would remain her friend. What did I care if she developed a taste for blood and would one day learn to fly and roll people's minds. Personally I thought it was kind of cool.

So Lila being a vampire wasn't a big deal. Not to her or me or to our best bud Cassie. What had caused problems was the fact that Aaron, being the asshole he was, was also something of a sadist. He liked to use Lila as his own personal punching bag. I guess when you become a vampire it doesn't really change your personality all that much. He was only a few years old himself. Which was fortunate for us and unfortunate for him. Lila was still weak when Cassie and I found her. He was keeping her half starved. Normally vamps heal from bruises really quick, but Lila looked like she'd just gone nine rounds with Ali. We rescued her and took her home with us. Cassandra was pissed. Hell she was beyond pissed; she was beyond any level of anger I'd ever seen her at. Cassie isn't a good person to piss off. She wasn't when she was human and she definitely wasn't after the summer she spent in Massachusetts with her grandparents.

I guess that requires a minor explanation as well. Cassie, also known as Cassandra Wainwright, went to school with us starting in the tenth grade when her family moved to our area. We all became fast friends. I think it was our sarcasm and stubbornness that drew us together...that or the fact that we were the only people who could read and write beyond a third grade level in our one horse town. She was from Boston and you could tell after talking to her for more then five seconds. She had a small run in with a werepanther when she visited her grandparents the summer of our sophomore year. She'd almost died, Lila and I had driven up and stayed with them for two weeks until she was released from the hospital...not cause she was healed...but cause it was three days to the full moon and the blood tests said lycanthropy. She shifted then we went home and no one, and I do mean no one, was told. There wasn't a pack or pard or whatever you call it in our neck of the woods so there weren't any weres for her to hang out with...which meant...research, research, research. Fortunately, my library skills know no bounds and the Internet is a wonderful thing. Besides that between the three of us we have enough imagination to get ourselves into loads of trouble...so we formed our own group...with its own strange little codes and rituals...although there was very little sniffing involved.

So there's Cassie's explanation, now back to Aaron may the sick, twisted bastard rot in hell for eternity. Sometimes I wish we could do it all over again. No we didn't kill him, that would have been much too good for him and not nearly painful enough. You see when dealing with those who like to make themselves feel better about their life by hurting those weaker you have to make sure they feel every pain they've ever inflicted over and over and over again. Of course maybe I'm over reacting, but you just don't fuck with my friends, and you sure as hell don't hurt them just because it makes you 'feel' better. Cassie was of a similar frame of mind. Which is why after we'd taken Lila home and stashed her in the root cellar...it was the best we could do, Florida is notorious for having no basements, we went after him. Men, even dead men can be so stupid. He'd shown us all where his resting place was which was not a good idea when your a woman beating misogynistic pig who's dealing with two ultra feministic bitches that have sliver tipped boots and know how to use them, especially if one of them happens to be a werepanther. It’s just not smart. Lucky us. So we kidnapped him...not rescued, kidnapped.

You know another good thing about having a werepanther as a best friend is that when your other best friend is a vampire and is hurt she has sufficiently powerful blood to make healing a breeze. Life is good. Especially when you have the bastard who hurt your friend at your disposal and all the time in the world to exact your revenge.

One of the only benefits of living out in the middle of nowhere is that no one can hear your victim's screams. Lila felt much better after taking a small drink from Cassie, who didn't mind donating. It must be nice to be a, what's the word they use, pomme de sang, apple of blood. Besides, she was used to it and Lila is her friend. So Cassie and Lila were feeling good and I was…well I was ready. I'd gone into town to get the supplies we'd need. By that I mean a blessed crosses, holy water, silver blades and silver nitrate. Its amazing what you can buy at a homeopathic drug store. It also helps when you know the local Coven and are on friendly terms with them. No I'm not Wiccan but Cassie is hence our good relationship with the Coven. We set up everything ahead of time. Since both the vampires were young and didn't rise before sunset we had plenty of time. I'm not sure how much of this you'll actually want to hear. I mean we really went to town on the asshole.

Cassie and I can get very inventive. We started with the little things. You know a little holy water here and there. Asher's scars were bad but the ones Aaron will always sport are much more interesting Its like branding, only way more fun when you use a paint brush and some holy water to trace nifty designs in someone's skin. Then there were the crosses. Have I mentioned that Cassie is something on an artist and she has a real flare for design? Of course since she and Lila couldn't really handle the silver or the crosses that part was left mainly up to me. I may not be an artist but I'm a mean little bitch when I'm riled. That night I was very riled. Of course that was all just the beginning. We saved the best for last. Lila actually got to do that. We used a regular knife this time. Maybe it was the whole Lorena Bobbit story but we thought the idea was a good one. So we're mean, so what? Men of the world should tremble in fear at our passing.