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“I love it,” Talyn breathed out, “which is why I’m letting her go.”
“Then you’re an idiot,” Booby said.
Talyn laughed. “I’m not going to disagree. I was an idiot to get involved in any of this. I was an idiot to use My Single Alien to find a mate. I was an idiot to think it was so easy that the first female I met who calmed me was the one I should join with for the rest of my life. And I was a big idiot to think that Sinead would agree.”
“None of that indicates idiocy. You’ve met other humans. They don’t have the same effect Sinead has on you. She’s special to you. You are an idiot because you gave that up.”
“Then that’s another thing we’ll have to disagree on,” Talyn said. “I’m sorry this is making you sad, Booby. I’ll try my best not to forget you, old friend.”
“I will never forget you.”
“Can you send a message to Laya after my procedure and let her know what I’ve done?”
“You should speak with her yourself before you go through with it.”
“I should. But I...” It was a coward’s way out, doing it this way. Laya would cry and beg him not to have an expunge. Talyn couldn’t face it. He couldn’t bear to see her sad because of him. “Please, just do this for me. I hope she understands what I’m doing.”
“I doubt she will.”
Talyn swallowed his sadness as he looked around the cockpit.
“Someone is coming,” Booby said.
Talyn peered through the window to see Dr. Cross.
“Shall I close the ramp and fly you away from this reckless decision?”
Talyn struggled to his feet and shook his head. “No, we’re not escaping from this.” He staggered along the corridor, giving the wall one final pat before descending the docking ramp.
Dr. Cross stood at the bottom. “You have a damn fine ship.”
“We’ve been through a lot together. I was saying goodbye.”
“It’s not goodbye. It will just be different the next time you open your eyes and see your ship. She’ll still be here, waiting for you.”
Talyn nodded and walked slowly toward the clinic with Dr. Cross. “Is it time?”
“We’re ready for you,” Dr. Cross said.
Talyn turned and looked back at Booby.
She flared her lights at him before closing the docking ramp.
He raised a hand in goodbye before turning to face his new future.
Chapter 21
“Does everybody know what they need to do?” Sinead scraped her hair off her face. Despite not having slept all night, she felt wired.
“Everything is in place,” Booby said over the comm link established between the two ships.
Holly looked over from where she sat at a small table and nodded. “I’m ready to go.”
They’d been plotting all night to find a way into the clinic and grab Talyn. Despite his rejection of her yesterday, Sinead knew it was the right thing to do. Even if he turned her down after she got him out, the least she could do was buy him time to rethink his ridiculous decision.
When she’d returned to Holly’s ship after speaking with Talyn, she’d spent a few minutes sobbing on Holly’s shoulder. Her sadness had been swiftly replaced with a steely determination as she’d pulled herself together, stopped feeling sorry for herself, and realized she had a serious job to do.
Sinead wasn’t giving up on Talyn. He might hate her for doing this, but he was wrong. He didn’t need to wipe away his ability or his memories or everything that made him who he was. He had her. She would help him. She was enough. She just had to convince him of that.
