Together, they headed away from the science section and this time, the atmosphere between them was comfortable, no hidden disquiet or secret fear. Qalu walked close to him, her forelimb brushing against his as she occasionally moved aside for a resident hurrying through the market. It would be pragmatic to return to the quarters they had been assigned and get some rest, but the others might well have finished their business by now, and he wasn’t ready to share her. One day he would work on those selfish impulses.

“What should we do now?” Qalu asked. “Are you tired?”

Tired of running. Tired of uncertainty. Tired of not remembering who’s trying to destroy me. He didn’t speak any of these thoughts, choosing not to burden her.

“I wonder if there’s a medical practitioner here, someone who could help with my memory problem.”

Conflict clouded her expression, and he watched her consider and discard multiple responses, before she finally said, “We can look if you wish.”

“You don’t think it’s a good idea?”

“I’m afraid of anyone else meddling with you,” she confessed.

Amusement welled up from deep within. “I won’t let them perform brain surgery on me. But the time has come for more aggressive measures, I think. I need to recover what I’ve lost, by any means necessary.”

“What if remembering hurts you…or changes things?”

“I’m not entirely sure what you mean,” Helix said, puzzled.

“What if you remember that someone’s waiting for you? Someone…important.”

In his wildest theories, he had never even imagined that, but it seemed that she feared losing him, perhaps even as much as he feared losing her. Seductive warmth flowed through him, and he guided her out of the main thoroughfare, so they didn’t get cursed for obstructing foot traffic. Here in the shadows on the far end of the market, near the corridors leading to the residential area, they could speak more privately.

“I don’t think I was capable of bonding with someone like this, before,” he said gently. “Though I assisted Zylar for years, my attachment to him is not the same. I would like to see him again. I would like to know that he is well. But…”

“But…?” she prompted.

“I do not ache over him. My emotional responses are more muted.” Briefly he paused, wondering if he should tell her. “For me, there is no one like you. There never will be again. You are the literal reason my heart beats, but you’re the metaphorical motive as well. I live for you, Qalu. And that will never change, no matter what I remember.”

Qalu gazed at Helix, her entire body alight with adoration.