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“May I speak for you?” Booby asked.

He nodded and rested his head in his hands. Booby knew about his weakness. She was always around to help when he suffered an attack. Booby was always there, watching over him and making sure he didn’t completely lose his mind.

“Talyn has a particularly strong empath ability,” Booby said. “He feels everything deeply. When someone experiences intense emotions, he feels them too. And it’s never a single person; he feels multiple emotions at once.”

“Wow! That must be difficult.”

Talyn nodded and gestured for Booby to continue.

“It’s a daily struggle. He deals with it by blocking his ability.”

“Is that safe?” Sinead asked.

“No, if a Lillip blocks his ability for too long—”

“It’s safe,” Talyn muttered. “I know what I’m doing. I have a handle on this.”

Booby was silent for a moment. “Even so, it’s not advised that Lillips block all emotion for any length of time.”

“That must be bad for you,” Sinead said. “And to not feel anything, good or bad, must be grim.”

Talyn shook his head. “It’s my only option.”

“How bad is it?” Sinead asked.

“Imagine a hundred feelings and emotions hitting you at once,” Booby said. “Imagine that going on around you day and night. Even when people dream, they feel things. That’s what Talyn experiences all the time.”

Sinead didn’t speak but kept hold of his hand. Talyn was grateful for the contact. She was blocking out almost everything, although her own emotions pulsed out of her like raw, hot energy, making his heart thud. How could one person feel so much?

“If there’s any way I can help you, I’d like to,” she said softly. “But let’s be clear. I’m not your mate.”

Talyn slowly raised his head and blinked his eyes. “You’re wrong. You signed a contract to become my mate. We’re officially joined.”

“Then make it unofficial.” Sinead glared at him. “You tricked me. I didn’t know what I was signing.”

“I didn’t mean to trick you. I assumed you understood.”

“I told you yesterday that I was here to help. I’d take you through the process of finding a mate. I never once said I’d be that mate.”

Talyn shook his head, his thoughts slow and sluggish. “That’s what you’ve done.” Why was she making this difficult? They were joined. That was an end to it.

Sinead covered her mouth, and tears filled her eyes. She sat back in her seat, and her shoulders sagged.

“No, wait!” Talyn leaned toward her, hating seeing those beautiful eyes sad. “Don’t get upset.”

She lowered her hand and cleared her throat. “I’ll lose my job if anyone finds out about this mess.”

“Why would that happen?”

“We’re forbidden to date clients. You’ve just signed as a client to My Single Alien, and I’ve just signed to be your mate. That’s a sackable offense.” She looked away. “I’m on my final warning. Diadora’s waiting for a chance to get rid of me. She thinks I’m trouble.”

“What have you been warned about?”

“Nothing serious.” Sinead shrugged. “My timekeeping isn’t great, and I did lose a client’s file once. Diadora went crazy. She had to give the client his money back, and she hates parting with cash. But I’m great at my job and great with people. I work hard to make them happy.”

Talyn sighed. He didn’t want Sinead to worry, but he needed her to see sense. When she was around, he could think of nothing else. All other emotions and feelings were blocked by her powerful, raw intensity. It was too intense at times but also incredible. Maybe Booby was right, and Sinead really was his Blocker. He wanted her to be.

She stared at him and tilted her head. “I sort of wish I had your ability. There’s something going on behind those eyes that you’re not telling me.”