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Sinead dropped her hand and laughed. “Is that Booby?”

The surrounding lights pulsed. “Welcome on board. I’m Booby.”

Sinead grinned. “It’s nice to meet you. Talyn told me about you.”

“I’m sure everything he said does not give credit to my incredible design.”

“He seems fond of you. Is he here?”

“He’s on his way to meet you.”

Sinead nodded. “How’s he doing?”

“Nervous. Excited to see you again.”

“Excited to meet his mate,” Sinead said.

“Naturally. This is a big thing for him.” The walls pulsed with light. “I’m protective of Talyn. Make sure his heart doesn’t get injured in this transaction.”

“Oh, you have nothing to worry about, Booby. Everyone is vetted and assessed before they join. Just like Talyn, mates go through an extensive assessment process. They fill in a two hundred point profile and have an interview. We don’t take just anyone at My Single Alien.”

“That’s good to know. Talyn is more fragile than he appears. He—”

“That’s enough, Booby.” Talyn strode toward Sinead, a scowl on his face. “You must forgive my ship. She talks too much and has learned how to disable her silent mode.”

“It’s only because we rarely have company on board,” Booby said. “I like to practice my social skills.”

Talyn shook his head. “You made it,” he said to Sinead.

“Of course, I said I would.” She smiled. He looked good on board his ship. She could tell he was much more comfortable here than on Prodigy. His shoulders weren’t hunched and his movement more fluid. This was his home.

Talyn tilted his head as he studied her face. “I don’t even need to let my barriers down to know you’re assessing me. Do you like what you see? Do you like Booby?”

Sinead looked away, feeling embarrassed she was so easy to read. “Everything looks great. I’d love to have a talking ship. It must be fun to have company.”

“Most of the time, when she’s not talking too much,” Talyn said.

“I also sing,” Booby said.

Sinead laughed. “That’s amazing.”

“She’s showing off,” Talyn said. “This way. Have you eaten?”

“No, I came straight from work. We had a busy day with the new inductees.”

“Sure. How’s it going?”

“Well, your absence was noted. I made an excuse and said you were feeling unwell. I think we got away with it.”

Talyn grimaced. “I couldn’t handle the company. I finally got some sleep in the afternoon.”

“You look rested. When I first came on board Prodigy, it took me weeks to get used to the movement. Now I just have to cope with my own thoughts that stop me from sleeping.”

Talyn’s gaze ran over her, and he opened his mouth as if to say something but then shut it. “That should ease over time. It takes a while for a proper connection to be made. When it does, you’ll get a great night’s sleep.”

Sinead’s brows lowered. She wasn’t sure what connection he referred to. “I don’t like to, but I sometimes rely on sleeping tablets. There are only so many fractured nights of sleep a girl can handle before it affects her waking hours. Perish the thought I mismatch someone at My Single Alien because I’m tired.”

He nodded. “I understand all about messing up when you’re tired. What would you like to eat?”