When Earth is conquered by the sinister Greys and the alien who killed Evie's husband returns seeking her help, she must find a way to enact her revenge and fight the growing feelings for the creature who is an exact replica of the man she loved.
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'...get a grip,' Tom said, as we lingered in the corridor, watching as Jace and Lena followed Taj and the others into the main space where the rest of the group would be gathered, waiting.
'W-what?' I said, dragging my gaze from them to him, feeling suddenly light-headed and wondering what the Hell had just happened.
Taj had agreed to give Tom and Lena an audience with the group. Sure, he'd ended it with a threat, but even I knew that he wouldn't have let them take another step further inside the base if he didn't think there was at least something in Tom's plan.
Tom looked down into my face, his stare hard and intense and I remembered the ghost of him whispering in my ear and that book – that damn book of his, rising from the grave of the apartment block that was demolished the day the Americans began dropping the bombs. My mouth went dry, my head fuzzy and I swayed a little, my hand reaching instinctively to steady myself against his chest. He recoiled, as if my touch had stung him and I did the same, withdrawing my hand, unsure why I had even reached for his help.
'What did you say?' I said, pulling my hands into fists by my side. My voice sounded hoarse and feeble. I hated to hear it. Hated that he made me feel weak. I'd gone to Hell and back after Tom had died. I'd lived and survived it all. I'd endured Tania's hate campaign, civil riots, the World War and the Final Wave and yet it was him – this thing – that made my legs want to crumble underneath me. It was the Grey that made my stomach knot and my resolve disintegrate.
Tom's eyes narrowed. 'I said, you did well. Everything will be just fine if we stick to the script.'
'Oh,' I said, confused. 'I thought you said something else.'
Had he really said that? Had I just been lost in a different time, with a different Tom?
'You are going to stick to the script, aren't you, Evie?' he said, his voice a low dangerous hiss. 'We agreed.'
I glared at him. 'No, you demanded. I had no choice but to go along with it.'
Tom shrugged and arched a dark brow. 'There's always a choice, but choices come with consequences. You can choose to change your mind now, but then I'd be forced to tell them how you kept me a secret, how you've known about me from the start and how you've just led their enemy directly into the heart of a human base. You really think I'd be the only one with a bullet between my eyes?'
I felt my heart harden, a steel shell encapsulating chambers and valves.
'You really need to work on your identity theft skills,' I said, stepping closer and pulling my shoulders back. 'The real Tom wasn't a cold, emotionless bastard.'
The Grey hesitated, his eyes sweeping over my face. He swallowed. 'I'm aware of that, more than you could possibly ever realise.'
I hadn't touched him, nor him me, but I recoiled again anyway, feeling the weight of his stare just as I'd felt the weight of the dark skies that night I'd stood in my apartment, suddenly so certain of the threat that was coming Earth's way.
