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“We all have bad days. Don’t write somebody off because she gives you a headache the first time you meet.”

“I will, especially if she gives me a headache.” Talyn’s thoughts turned to the human who’d been fluttering her long eyelashes at him as she’d brought him to his room. Sinead, that was her name. He hoped the other women he met weren’t like her. She’d been so full on, even with his blocks at a maximum, her chaotic emotions had seeped through and made his heart flutter. He couldn’t handle a week here if the women were all like Sinead.

“Take your time with this,” Laya said. “You don’t have to make a decision straightaway.”

“I’ve decided,” Talyn said. “You want me to find a mate. I understand I’m a burden. The weird, single brother who can’t find anyone to be with.”

“Hold it right there.” Laya scowled at him. “You are weird, but there’s nothing wrong with that. I want to see my big brother happy. I can’t remember the last time I saw you free of worry.”

He forced a grin. “See, I’m carefree now.”

She chuckled. “You’re gritting your teeth and baring them at me. There’s a big difference. Let your guard down and enjoy yourself. Find someone to make you smile. Find someone who makes you laugh as well. It doesn’t have to be doom and gloom if you don’t want it to be.”

Talyn looked away. That was a part of the problem; everyone had glum thoughts, and he was drawn to them and listened to the darkest depths of everyone’s minds. Even though his sister said weird was good, he knew it wasn’t. He wished he could move past the darkness, but it stuck to him and contaminated his existence like a poisonous gas.

His thoughts drifted to their mom. He shook his head as if to dislodge the memory as soon as it appeared. There was no way he was going there. If he opened himself to feelings, he’d have to open himself to hers. She was always in the back of his mind, drilling away and terrifying him with what might be his own dark future.

The sound of crying drew his gaze back to the comms screen.

Laya glanced away. “I have to go. Nilia is waking. I thought I’d have another ten minutes. She must have set her alarm early.”

“You go. I’m good here.”

“Promise me you’ll give this a go. Meet the women, talk to them, maybe see what they’re feeling if they agree to it. Don’t keep everything locked down. It’s not healthy.”

Talyn raised his hand in front of the screen. “I agreed to do this, and I won’t argue that a mate would be a nice thing.” Sometimes, he felt so lonely his bones ached. He was a weird mess but a lonely one.

“Have you got your partner contract?”

“Of course. I have an electronic copy for signing. My Single Alien wants me as a client, and I need a mate who’ll sign to be my life partner. It’s a win-win all round.”

“Don’t rush your female into this. Make sure she knows you and our ways. A Lillip mate is full on. A human won’t be used to having her thoughts infiltrated.”

“If she knows me too well, she won’t think I’m suitable.” Who wanted a guy with night terrors, a liking for dark thoughts, and a fondness for lying in a darkened room when the noise in his head got too intense?

“There you go, looking on the dark side again. Let your guard down and be honest. And don’t talk about the gloom all the time.”

“What if she’s a gloomy female? Am I allowed to talk about it then?”

“Focus on the positive. I’m always telling you that.”

Nilia’s cries became louder.

“Go! Feed that hungry mouth,” Talyn said.

“I will. I want regular updates, and I want to meet your new mate as soon as you’re happy with her.”

“You’ll be the first to know when I’ve found true love.” Talyn ended the conversation and slumped back on the bed.

This felt like the biggest challenge he’d ever had. He didn’t hate the idea of a mate but wasn’t ready to let anyone through his barriers. He was used to feeling numb and blank, only getting the briefest flash of a person’s emotions before filtering them out.

How would he be able to bare all to a stranger? How would he cope with her feelings rattling around his head for the rest of their lives together?

Talyn blew out a long breath. This was what he had to face if he was to have a successful partnership with a woman.

He dragged himself off the bed and ordered the strongest cup of coffee he could find from the replicator. He needed something to distract himself. There was no way he wanted to sleep yet.

He’d already been up twenty hours, but if he could drag it out for another five or six hours, it would limit the amount of time he had to dream. Sleep took away his control. His barriers slid down, and every rampant thought or errant emotion crept in.