The god-forsaken Ilion was buried in shadows of obscurity.

The old university still hinged on the money coughed up by the well-off families of the students coming and going to study there. I used to be one of them. Zoe Torn, Philosophy major on the verge of dropping out.

Then one day they showed up.
No demands. No negotiations. They killed for kicks.

I escaped, hiding in the woods. But they came after me. And when there was nowhere left to run, I faced the darkness. Faced the man in a black cloak with eyes of obsidian. I knew this was the end for me.

But the reaper... saved me.
Was this really an escape?

Saviors don't keep you in a cage. They don't threaten you. Don't take future away from you. They don't break your spirit.
I am no longer living, merely surviving.

I have to escape. I have to save my family.
Even if my body is no longer mine.
My soul is mine alone. Right?

Tropes:
• Slow burn
• Enemies to lovers
• Kidnapping
• Age gap
• Opposites
• Mafia
• Forced proximity