Azrael Bellum, a soul with a mother whose soul is slipping through her fingers. She's a good daughter, has raised her little brother and does as much as she can to balance everything in her life. Hades, God of the underworld, collector and protector of souls. Cold to the touch sometimes but warm once you feel his embrace. ---- "The only way you can avoid me taking your mother is if you can give me another soul," I told as my right index finger traced her jawline until I pushed up her chin so her blue orbs met mine "make me an offer I can't refuse. Make a deal with the devil, darling." Tears streamed down her face "I'll give you whatever you want, you make the terms but don't take my mother."

Pearl Blankenship, an autistic investigative journalist, witnesses the end of the world. Before the nuclear fallout can kill her, a mysterious being offers her a choice: come with him or stay on a dying planet Earth. **** Dumuzi, the being who offered, is an Anunnaki: a descendant of humankind's ancient alien creators. It is his mission to wipe out what remains of humanity in a few short weeks, sparing only those with a thirst for knowledge and moral character. After becoming a journalist, Pearl was mocked online, arrested for trespassing, and challenged globally for her conspiracy theories. Two things she knows for a fact: mankind deserves a second chance, and staying on Earth sounds... well, hazardous. She hopes that by getting closer to Dumuzi, she might be able to change his mind about humanity, as he is a councilman with power. But it isn't going to be easy. Communicating? It's difficult for her. And he is cold, wary of humans, and has weeks left to live due to an illness that plagues him. The more time she spends with him, the more his illness accelerates, and the more steamy attractions ignite into something seriously dangerous. The clock is ticking. 𝐂𝐖: 𝐒𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲, 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬.