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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I wasn't okay.
I stared down at my open palm. I could still feel his touch. Could still feel what it had been like to have him link his fingers with mine. Warm. Soft. Gentle. So much like the real Tom that I had been torn between wanting to wrench my hand from his and not ever wanting to let go.
I was so lost in the memory that I didn't even realise anyone was talking to me until Abby waved her hand under my nose, mouthing words I could barely hear until I forced myself to wake up and focus.
'Earth to Evie,' she said. 'You getting this?'
'W-what?' I glanced over her shoulder, spotting the questioning stares of everyone as they all looked my way. I'd zoned out. Right in the middle of Taj debriefing the rest of the group about our meeting with Levi, I'd lost track of everything and instead, had found my head crowded with ghosts and guilt. 'What did you say? Sorry, I was...'
Not listening. Thinking about myself. Thinking about him.
I caught Tom's stare as he stood next to Taj. There was something about that which bothered me so much. It was as if he was suddenly Taj's right-hand man, as if he'd been one of us since the beginning, as if he was more a part of this than I was. How had this happened? How had he wormed his way in so easily?
I felt my cheeks heat with shame and my stomach flipped a spin-cycle of unease as I looked at all the people I had put in danger. My people.
'Taj was just saying how you practically had Levi eating out of your palm?' Abby said.
I balled my hands into fists and wrapped my arms around my chest as if I could curl inwards and suddenly become invisible. 'Hardly. He hasn't said yes.'
'And he hasn't said no,' Taj replied. 'I don't want to count our chickens just yet, but I reckon we've got him on side.'
He smiled, one of those brilliant mega-watt Taj smiles but I could only frown in response.
'This is Levi we're talking about,' I said. 'And anyway, even if he does agree, you heard him. He wants something out of this. It's like going into business with the bloody Devil.'
Tom's stare burrowed deeper; his lips pressed thin. Around the room, I could see a few faces dropping, hope draining. Hope was that one thing that was difficult to build, but easy to destroy. You could make it crumble with a snap of your fingers. Tumble like matchsticks, one after the other.
Taj saw it too, because he glanced at everyone, before looking back at me, his eyes reflecting his irritation. He'd come out of the meeting with Levi practically buzzing. I could almost feel the static coursing over his skin, this sense of heady anticipation at the prospect of getting Levi onside.
It's not like I didn't get it. If I had no idea who – what – Tom really was, I'd probably be thinking the exact same thing. I'd probably be like Jace – ready for something new, the chance to strike back and actually feel like we were doing something, instead of waiting for inevitable death in the Tube Tunnels. I felt their excitement. Their sense of yearning for something more. A yearning for a life beyond all this, probably a life that would never be quite the same as it once was, but one where we didn't have to live out our days hiding and running.
