The buzzing of my phone yanked me awake, and I noticed that a heavy storm had fallen over the city. For a moment, I thought about letting it go to voicemail, but the idea went away as soon as Hunter's name showed up on the screen.

My voice came out raspy. "Hello?"

"Hey, you," he said. On the other side of the line, there was a soft creak of a door opening, and his voice loudened. The rain's battering matched these actions. "Did I wake you up?"

"I was just resting my eyes."

"For three hours?"

I sat straight a little bit too fast and felt the blood rushing back down from my head to the rest of my body. "What time is it?"

"A little bit past six-thirty," he said. "I wanted to call before, but Logan held me back."

I drew the soft blanket away from my body, turning my lamp on before walking up to the window. The sky was tainted blue behind the clouds, and rain poured like crazy. "Does he know?"

"About what?" he asked. "About what I am or about the fact that you know what I am?"

"Both?"

Lightning struck somewhere near the skyscrapers downtown, and light spread through the sky. This allowed me to catch a glimpse of a tall figure walking across the street.

"He knows about me," Hunter said, the booming thunder echoing outside and through his side of the call. "Not about the fact that you know, too."

"Oh." The rain made it hard for me to listen to him, and I started to notice how this figure outside kept walking closer and closer to my driveway. He—and I solely assumed it was a guy because of the way he walked with his shoulders squared—was only wearing a black jacket to shield himself from the downpour. "Um...Hunter? I think someone's coming to my house."

"Are you expecting anyone?"

Not that I knew of. And the act of someone showing up on our doorstep didn't convey anything particularly dangerous, but after having heard about shape-shifters, dragons and vampires—or whatever they called themselves—my nerves were slightly on edge. "I don't think so."

"How good are your hospitality manners?"

My eyes narrowed. "Huh?"

"Well, would you be so kind as to give shelter to a poor guy getting drenched under these stormy skies because he wanted to share a word with you?"

"You're joking." I pulled the curtains further apart, squinting to get a better look at the figure standing now under my window, next to the tree that had been growing there since I could remember.

"Not really."

"And you didn't think about bringing an umbrella?" I asked, removing the latch and opening the window. The wind blew some rain into the room. "I mean, since it's pouring."

"Nah, I'll show you something cool."

Before I could reply, the line went dead and I saw him putting his phone back in his pocket. Next thing I knew, he was draping an arm over one of the lower tree branches and using it as support to climb up.

A couple of swift movements later, through the thickness of the leaves, I saw him popping up next to the window with a smile tugging on the edges of his lips. "Mind stepping a little bit back, milady?" he asked over the rain.

I did so, making sure my room's door was closed. The last thing I wanted was for either of my parents to step in while a guy jumped from the tree to the window's stool and climbed inside. Even worse, if they saw him this way. His built figure was soaked head to toe, his hair disheveled in quite an attractive way, and his lips stretched to a wide grin.

"Hey, there," he said, stepping closer. He smelled like rain and cologne—oddly well combined. "Sorry for dropping by so unexpectedly, but I didn't really feel like waiting."

"You just climbed a tree." I snorted, keeping my voice low.

"For you? Yes, I did. I think I even saw a squirrel there."

"A squirrel?" My brows rose and he nodded, a soft chuckle escaping his mouth. "Gosh, you're soaking wet."

"Not for long," he said, stepping even closer. "Want to see that cool trick?"

I nodded, and he took his jacket off, making my heart pound inside my chest. Part of me worried he might've started to get rid of the rest of his clothes, but all he did was throw the jacket to the floor. Then, slowly curling his fingers into a fist, tendrils of clear smoke started to form around it.

Soon enough, they became a light fog—more like steam—that moved up his body, the water evaporating as it passed by. His drenched clothes dried up, and the same happened to his hair and face. "Pretty cool—right?"

"I'm...fairly impressed, yes." I looked back at the door, honestly fearing either of my parents walked in and witnessed the guy who could dry himself up with a magic vapor. "But what are you doing here?"

"Well, we didn't finish our conversation."

I rounded him to get to the window, closing it so that no more rain got inside with the wind. "And I'd like to finish it, Hunter, but if my parents find you here—"

"Don't you worry, Liv," he said, taking a seat on my bed. "They aren't even home."

"Wait—what?"

"I saw the car going out like half an hour ago."

"Then why did you climb up the window?"

He gave me a smug smile. "Is it bad that I wanted to impress you?"

My eyes narrowed, and I decided not to play along. We had more important issues to worry about, which is why I didn't waste any time and opened the door. "Mom? Dad?" Ten quiet seconds went by. "Anyone?" Still nothing but the rain and Hunter's distinctive presence behind me.

Where the hell was everybody?

Without warning, Hunter's voice came up behind my ear, warming the skin around it and making it tingle. "Is this where we act like normal teenagers and take advantage of being home alone?"

I turned back, eyes locking with his before I stepped outside the room. He couldn't be serious. "This is where you finish explaining why my entire life has been a lie."

He walked downstairs behind me, his tone becoming slightly humorous. "Not a lie, technically. You've just been seeing it with the wrong pair of eyes."

"Funny for you to say. Lately everything I see makes me feel like I'm slowly losing my mind." We rounded the last step and went into the kitchen. There was a sticky note on the fridge with mom's handwriting on it.

Hunter leaned against one of the countertops, and I folded the note before he could read it. There was nothing bad, but I didn't want him asking questions about Jared. "What did they say?"

"They said they would be back before midnight."

"Well, then I guess we have time. Where did I leave off?"

"You were telling me about the people who are after you," I said, not willing to jump back into where we had actually left off. I still didn't know if I wanted to hear what a Keeper was.

"Not only after me. Remember how Roy mentioned three other guys?"

They will harvest your powers, and then they are gonna kill you. The four of you. I shuddered at the memories of the night at the party. "Yes."

"He was talking about my friends. Dominic, Caiden, and Owen. We've known each other since we were kids, grew up together, like brothers, but when we turned on our own people, we had to go our separate ways for safety measures."

"Do you still talk to each other?"

"I hadn't heard from them in four years since they've been after us, but I always tried to keep track. Never stopped making sure they were okay."

"Is that why you came back?" I asked, lightning flashing over the city's sky again.

"Partly, yes." He sighed. "But I can tell that's not what you really want to know. What is it? What's wrong?"

The hairs on my nape rose with the memories of what happened earlier, and an unsettling feeling ricocheted in my insides as thunder growled outside. "Roy said something back at the school...and I've been thinking about it. That's all."

"What did he say?" His voice changed. There was clear frustration in it, as if thinking about the guy angered him enough already that he couldn't control it.

"He was on the phone with someone," I began, the images cycling in my head. "And he told whomever he was talking to that he thought I was this thing, a Keeper. He sounded so sure of it...which is why he looked for me in the first place. He was testing me."

I hadn't realized my hands were shaking slightly until Hunter wrapped his around them. "It's okay. Did he say anything else?"

"No. He simply came up to me, and...."

"And?"

"I saw his face morphing into Anthony's and vice versa. Just like a mirage." I looked down at the floor. "I think I'm losing my mind, Hunter."

He waited a full minute before replying. The longest minute of my life. "You're not losing your mind, Olivia. I told you—you can see through people's glamour."

"So is Roy right?" I looked up at him, finding his blue eyes simmering with uncertainty.

"I wouldn't know...because I've never actually seen a Keeper." Hunter sounded intrigued, and that set off an uneasy feeling inside of my body.

"But what is it? What's a Keeper?"

Instead of answering my question, he held on to my hand tighter. "How fast can you go upstairs and get your things?"

"Why...?"

I noticed the storm had grown considerably by now outside the windowpanes from the kitchen. Lightning bolts kept on casting their light over the city's skyscrapers near downtown, and they cracked thin lines that spread like spiderwebs through the cloud-packed sky. Thunders followed close behind, each time their booming sounds becoming louder.

"I know someone who can help," he said, his voice calmer against the loud rain. "And it's about time I gave him a call."