“Did you hear that, Obelus?” she said, glaring at Ampersand as she spoke, her voice quivering. “You don’t know who you are? Well, I do. You are a murderer. A militarist. You just don’t remember it.”

“Stop this.”

“You’ve already tried to kill me once, so you’ll try again as soon as you get your memories back, and this time, you’ll probably succeed. And you’ll continue to torture him, and he’ll be only too happy to let you do it as long as it means he gets to keep that one thread to his old life!”

The air in her lungs froze, her muscles locked, her jaw snapped shut as the invisible magnet held her firm, stopped her from speaking. His spider hands were forming a triangle in the way that they often did when he used his telekinesis, something he had not done to her since before they even started communicating.

“I can’t . . . I can’t stay quiet on this,” she said, her air restricted like there were hands around her throat. “He’s a murderer. He’s a fucking war criminal. He can’t be allowed to be free. I have to tell Sol.”

“No.” He lifted her off the ground, her arms stiff as boards, and floated her over to him until she was eye level with him, hanging in the air three feet off the ground. “You will not.”

“So what are you going to do?” she asked, her throat still constricted. She was still too angry to be afraid. “Suppress my memories, too?”

“If that is your intent, then I will.”

She hadn’t expected him to admit it so candidly, and at last her anger cracked, her expression faded from rage to hurt. He can’t mean that, she thought, knowing that he absolutely did mean it. He didn’t say things he didn’t mean as a means of testing boundaries like a human might. And he’d already done it to Obelus. To his “Beloved.” If he did it to Obelus, he’d do it to her without question.

“Holy fuck, you absolute monster,” she whispered.

The constriction on her throat eased, and she floated to the ground, the stiffness in her limbs easing, the air in her chest flowing.

“I will not allow my symphyle to fall into the hands of those who would kill or abuse him.”

“I am bound to you, too!” she yelled, causing Obelus to cringe behind Ampersand. “I know you didn’t mean for this to happen. I know you didn’t really think that fusion bonding with a human would work, but it’s done. If he’s owed your protection, then so am I!”