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“You know I’m not one to interfere,” Booby said.

“You’re the opposite of that,” Talyn said. “What’s on your mind, Booby?”

“Your ability has been unstable these past few months. Seeing your mom is a big risk.”

“I’m not the same as her,” Talyn said. “I’ve got a handle on this.”

“You recently collapsed. It’s the worst I’ve seen you. You only recovered because of Sinead’s help. If you do that again, and she’s not around to assist, you might struggle to come back.”

Talyn closed his eyes and pressed his palms against his eyelids. He had to help his family but knew that doing so would risk his mind. But he was being selfish if he refused to visit.

“I know you’re strong, but that also makes you vulnerable to assaults from your mom,” Booby said.

“She needs me. I can’t turn her down. And I can’t turn Laya down.” Talyn had abandoned his family for too long. He’d let others take his burden and not stood up and faced it. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad if he hadn’t run as soon as it got tough.

“Your mom literally does not know her own mind. Her ability is destroying her. She would never throw out her emotions if she had control of her thoughts. She knows how damaging it is to you. She wants to keep you safe above anything else, but she’s not able to do that. The more time you’re around her, and the closer you are, the more damage will happen.”

“I’ve survived this long,” Talyn said.

“You’re not invincible. Your barriers aren’t strong enough to protect you. You must take Sinead with you if you’re doing this. She’s your Blocker. She’ll keep you safe.”

Talyn shook his head. “Sinead is not getting involved. She’s helped me enough and made it clear that she can’t handle being around me. If I throw this at her, it will convince her our partnership is a big mistake.”

“Sinead’s a good person. She’ll come if you ask her. She would want to help.”

“No, I’m not doing that to her.” Talyn didn’t want Sinead to see how bad his mom was. It would panic her more and convince her that a future with him would be dark. She’d believe he’d slip into madness. “I can deal with this. I’ll keep my visit short and my barriers locked in place.”

“This visit won’t kill you,” Booby said. “But you won’t come out of it unharmed.”

A headache began behind Talyn’s eyes as he dropped his hands against his thighs, his fists clenched. He had no choice. He had to help. This was his family.

“We’re going, Booby. Plot the course into your log. We leave tomorrow.”

Chapter 15

It felt like a herd of wild stallions stampeded through her head. Sinead rested her forehead against the cool top of the table in the dining hall.

After her conversation with her mom yesterday, she’d needed to forget her worries. That had led her to the Enchanted Captain. She’d made the most of the two-for-one cocktail evening. The first drink had calmed her nerves, the second had made her smile, and by the third, she was requesting tunes and encouraging people to dance.

Everything got fuzzy after that. She remembered laughing a lot and people clapping. Her head told her she’d gone way too far, but she’d had to block the conflicting voices in her head. This was the price she was paying the morning after.

Her tongue felt furry, and her eyeballs seemed to throb inside her skull. Every time she moved too quickly, her stomach lurched. Sinead had no clue how she’d get through the day, and she didn’t dare take a day off sick.

She’d had about an hour’s sleep before standing under an icy shower and heading to the dining hall to get strong coffee and calm her stomach before she started work.

She looked around slowly at the other people eating breakfast. Everyone looked so awake and happy. Although she kept a smile on her face, all Sinead wanted to do was curl into a ball and go back to sleep.

Her conversation with her mom had reconfirmed her fears about Talyn. She was right not to settle for anyone. Sinead had plenty more good years ahead of her when she could party, have fun, and not take life seriously.

Maybe she would get a little work done as her mom had suggested. She’d seen the beginnings of fine lines around her eyes this morning when she’d stared in the mirror. Maybe a skin peel would help. She had to find a way to hide the late, boozy nights. She wasn’t a teenager anymore.

Sinead took a sip of coffee and grimaced. She’d taken it black with plenty of sweetener, but it still tasted bitter. And so far, it was having no effect on waking her up.

“Hey, cutie.” A dark-haired guy in a red jumpsuit wandered over, a smile on his face. “I’m surprised to see you up.”

She squinted at him. He looked vaguely familiar. “I have to work, the same as everybody.”

“You’re made of strong stuff. You could barely walk out of the bar last night.” He pulled out the seat next to her and sat down, his arm resting along the back of her chair.