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The guard shook her head. “It’s a one-way trip. It looks like he’s not coming back.”

Sinead nodded, a numbness creeping out from her heart. Of course, it made sense that Talyn would leave. Why would he stay? She’d made it clear they couldn’t be together, so there was no reason for him to stick around and watch her reject him.

She walked out of the docking bay, her feet feeling heavy. Sinead rested against a wall in the corridor and closed her eyes. This shouldn’t hurt. She’d convinced herself that they couldn’t be in a relationship, but he didn’t have to leave like this.

She swallowed the bitterness creeping up her throat. They’d had their fun, and Talyn had realized the error he’d made by joining with her. He’d escaped while he could.

She snorted softly and downed more coffee. So much for a lifelong commitment. Everything he’d said was a lie. He’d made out that their commitment was solid and would never be broken.

Sinead swiped the back of her hand across her cheek. Maybe he hadn’t lied. He’d said that they would have to be lifelong partners, but that didn’t mean they needed to spend time in each other’s company. They could be joined but apart.

Her heart throbbed painfully. Talyn was a jerk, the same as all other guys. They promised everything, and once they’d gotten what they wanted, they abandoned you. She’d seen it so many times with her mom and experienced it herself a few times.

Sinead pushed away from the wall and slowly made her way to work. Her mom was right. She should have taken Talyn for everything he was worth. He’d messed her around and then abandoned her. Maybe she could still get something out of him. She could go to the Lillip High Council and plead abandonment. That would show him. That would teach him a lesson about how to treat your so-called life mate.

She sighed, knowing she wouldn’t do that. But she didn’t want to see him ever again, and she wouldn’t miss him. They’d known each other for less than a week, and that was too long. She should be glad he was gone. It removed a big problem from her life.

A tiny voice inside her head whispered that Talyn going also removed her calm and peace. He’d been her tranquil anchor, and she’d lost that and was once again adrift in her frantic thoughts.

She shoved away the voice. That was horse crap. It was time to move on to a new conquest and forget about Talyn.

Chapter 16

Talyn squeezed his hands together so tightly his knuckles ached. The headache behind his eyes was a dull roar as he stood in the cockpit of his ship.

“You can change your mind,” Booby said. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I do. Besides, we’re here now. I can’t let Laya down. I promised her I’d be here, and Mom needs me.”

“She would never ask you to come if her mind was clear,” Booby said. “You’re punishing yourself.”

“That’s enough, Booby.” They’d had a similar discussion during the four hours it had taken Talyn to travel to the hospital transport ship that would take him to Glasie.

Booby had tried to convince him to turn her around and head to safety, and Talyn had argued that wasn’t possible. He couldn’t abandon his mom because she was sick. He’d done that for too long and let others endure the burden.

His mom must be saying his name for a reason. He’d managed short visits with her in the past and had come away with his mind intact. But it had been two years since his last visit, and from the way she so frequently invaded his mind, he knew she was much less stable. That made her dangerous.

“I won’t accept another pilot,” Booby said.

Talyn squinted at the dark console. “What are you talking about?”

“If you don’t make it back from this, I won’t accept a new pilot. I’ll shut down all systems and never speak to anybody again.”

“Booby, you can’t do that. You’ve got decades of life in you. You’re not going to stubbornly shut down because you can’t get your own way.”

She was silent for a moment, the lights around Talyn pulsing. “It won’t be the same. Without you, I don’t wish to function.”

Talyn shook his head. “I can’t believe my own ship is trying to guilt trip me.”

“Is it working?”

Talyn huffed out a laugh and rested a hand against the wall. “No, I appreciate the effort, though. I understand why you don’t want me to go, but you must understand why I have to. I got some sleep last night. I feel okay. My barriers are high, and when I get to the hospital, I’ll have Laya by my side. We’ll manage Mom between us.”

“I’ll monitor your progress via your wrist comm,” Booby said. “I’ll alert you if you become unstable.”

“Great, my own personal doctor coming along for the ride.”

“It’s for your own good. You can only ignore the symptoms for so long before the damage is permanent.”