Still, the possibility of some kind of repeat continued to nag at me. Risking myself to that possibility was one thing, and that much I could live wit.... But extending the risk to Lee, to little Johnnie, was, as I'd told Richard, something else entirely; it was a decision I couldn't make alone.In the end I figured the only thing to do was lay it out plainly to Lee and let her decide, and that's what I did. I told her it was her call.She shook her head. "No, Jackie," she said. "When did you stop. Ace did not answer. It must be too late, she thought. Even the devil sleeps. But she knew she had crossed a line. She shouldn’t have sent that last message. The next day, at work, while sitting at her office desk, Leila opened her social account to check specifically for a message from Ace, and there it was, “I’m here when you’re ready and it looks like you're ready.” She closed the message. She bit her lip. She felt her neck burn with shame. That evening, after the kids were put to sleep, she. Jeff's eyes bulged as he stared at the new employee, a petite brunette with a great body, highlighted by a very short skirt. "This is Laura, she's new in town and will be replacing Betty once she retires, I'd like you to welcome her aboard" our manager stated. Laura and Jeff shook hands, his eyes scanning up and down her fine lines as they exchanged greetings. Nancy and Laura then shook hands with slightly less exuberance. Within seconds Jeff had sized up Laura, looking at her curvy legs, waist. Three days ago we tried to free the sun and failed, almost consuming our bodies in the process. We just needed more power. We had Molech's, Lilith's, and Lucifer's powers inside us—we just needed one more.Dagon's.We would give hope back to the world.Mary snuggled up to me, a reminder of the what my betrayal of the world bought me. It was all my fault that the planet suffered. Sometimes the guilt pressed down on me. If I hadn't killed Lilith, none of this would have happened. But I just couldn't.