“You’re a Raven!” I snap back. “You’re basically a walking Shield. Being close to you will restore his energy.”

Colin blinks. “I’m a what?”

“Well, you’re maybe a Raven,” I mutter to myself, trying to wrap my mind around the possibility. I definitely didn’t see this coming. There are so few left now that most magical communities rarely see them, and one hasn’t lived in Wick in years. “That’s according to Kaden, and he’s not exactly trustworthy.”

“Anna,” Colin says flatly.

I wince, realizing he has no idea what I’m talking about. “Sorry! Ravens are keepers of the Shield. They hunt dangerous creatures whose actions might expose magic. Jabberwockies are usually connected to them, because they can’t exist in the human world without a link to the Shield.”

Max is unusual because he lives with us, not a Raven, and uses the energy of the house as his link to the Shield. Ravenfall is actually named after the first Jabberwocky to bond with a human thousands of years ago—and the Ravenguard name evolved from that.

I pace along the bridge, trying to make sense of things. “But if you’re a Raven, that means your parents were too, and Liam. Now it turns out they were killed by something magical? There’s no way this is a coincidence, Colin.”

None of it is—Kaden being from Wick, Colin showing up at Ravenfall, now this? What’s going on?

Colin leans against the railing, looking overwhelmed. Learning about magic is one thing; learning you’re magical is another. Tack on the “hunted by a wraith and his boss” part and I’m surprised he’s still standing.

“Are you okay?” I ask, coming to a stop.

“I think so,” he says slowly. “It’s just a lot to take in. I wish…I wish my parents had told me the truth about all this. I wish they’d prepared me…” He trails off, his face clouding with anger. “I hate that they’re not here to help me now. They should be teaching me all this stuff.”

I try a reassuring smile, but I’ve never been any good at them. Something about looking like I stepped on a nail. At least, that’s what Kara says.

“I’m sorry,” I try instead, and it’s enough to make Colin’s expression soften.

He runs a frustrated hand through his hair. “They always told me that we were in witness protection, and that’s why we had to move all the time. But if this is all true, then what if we were really running from Kaden and whoever he works for? This might be the first step in figuring out why he killed them.”

“It would also explain what Kaden said before he ran,” I add, putting the pieces together. “About coming after you on Samhain.”