“Trouble in paradise, Mr Warner?”
I’ve got him by the throat in seconds, shock disfiguring his expression as I slam his body against the wall. “You,” I say angrily. “You forced me into this impossible position. Why?”
Castle tries to swallow but can’t, his eyes wide but unafraid. When he speaks his words are raspy, suffocated. “You had to do it,” he chokes out. “It had to happen. She needed to be warned, and it had to come from you.”
“I don’t believe you,” I shout, shoving him harder against the wall. “And I don’t know why I ever trusted you.”
“Please, son. Put me down.”
I ease up, only a little, and he takes in several lungfuls of air before saying, “I haven’t lied to you, Mr Warner. She had to hear the truth. And if she’d heard this from anyone else she’d never forgive you. But at least now”—he coughs—“with time, she might. It’s your only chance at happiness.”
“What?” I drop my hand. Drop him. “Since when have you cared about my happiness?”
He’s quiet for too long, massaging his throat as he stares at me. Finally, he says, “You think I don’t know what your father did to you? What he put you through?”
And now I take a step back.
“You think I don’t know your story, son? You think I’d let you into my world—offer you sanctuary among my people—if I really thought you were going to hurt us?”
I’m breathing hard. Suddenly confused. Feeling exposed.
“You don’t know anything about me,” I say, feeling the lie even as I say it.
Castle smiles, but there’s something wounded in it. “You’re just a boy,” he says quietly. “You’re only nineteen years old, Mr Warner. And I think you forget that all the time. You have no perspective, no idea that you’ve only barely lived. There’s still so much life ahead of you.” He sighs. “I try to tell Kenji the same thing, but he’s like you. Stubborn,” he says. “So stubborn.”
“I’m nothing like him.”
“Did you know that you’re a year younger than him?”
“Age is irrelevant. Nearly all my soldiers are older than me.” Castle laughs.
“All of you kids,” he says, shaking his head. “You suffer too much. You have these horrible, tragic histories. Volatile personalities. I’ve always wanted to help,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to fix that. Make this world a better place for you kids.”
“Well, you can go save the world somewhere else,” I say. “And feel free to babysit Kishimoto all you like. But I’m not your responsibility. I don’t need your pity.”
Castle only tilts his head at me. “You will never escape my pity, Mr Warner.”
My jaw clenches.
“You boys,” he says, his eyes distracted for a moment, “you remind me so much of my own sons.”
I pause. “You have children?”
“Yes,” he says. And I feel his sudden, breathtaking wave of pain wash over me as he says, “I did.”
I take several unconscious steps backward, reeling from the rush of his shared emotions. I can only stare at him. Surprised. Curious.
Sorry. “Hey.”
At the sound of Nazeera’s voice I spin around, startled. She’s with Haider, the two of them looking grave.
“What is it?” I say.
“We need to talk.” She looks at Castle. “Your name is Castle, right?” He nods.
“Yeah, I know you’re wise to this business, Castle, so I’m going to need you to get in on this, too.” Nazeera whips her finger through the air to draw a circle around the four of us. “We all need to talk. Now.”
