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“Will I see you again?” Talyn asked.
“I expect so,” Sinead said with forced brightness. “But we need to spend time apart. We can look into figuring out our next steps without being in such close... contact.”
“I know what I want our next step to be,” Talyn said.
Her expression hardened. “Lucky you.” Sinead strode out of the bedroom, along the corridor, and down the ramp.
Even though it hurt to walk away from Talyn, this was the right thing to do for both of them.
Chapter 12
Talyn slumped against the wall, listening to Sinead’s footsteps get farther away. What the hell had happened? He’d woken after the best sleep of his life, made out with a gorgeous woman who happened to be his new mate, and then been rejected by her.
He blew out a breath. “Booby, we need to fix this.”
“Are you suffering from physical distress?”
“Yes! No, well, I do feel strange.” Talyn stared at the ceiling. “Sinead has that effect on me.”
“When you’re near her, does your breathing and pulse quicken?”
“Yes, to both.”
“Have you ever felt light-headed around her?”
“Yes! Dizzy, like the air is too thin to breathe.”
“Might I make a diagnosis as to your condition?”
“Go for it, Dr. Booby.”
“You’re in love.”
Talyn snorted a bitter laugh. “Even if I was, it doesn’t matter. Sinead doesn’t want that. She’s made it clear she doesn’t want to be my mate.”
“If she does leave you, you can sample other humans. They might have a similar effect on you as she suggested.”
“You want me to shop around for somebody else?” Talyn shook his head. “You know it’s not that easy. We signed the contract. We’re joined. She’s my Blocker. There must be a way out of this, though. What are my options?”
“You know your options. You told them to Sinead. If you both believe the partnership has broken down—”
“It hasn’t even begun,” Talyn said.
“It has. You know what will happen if you seek an estrangement. Under Lillip law, you undergo counseling and reintroduce yourself to each other. You find solutions to the problems and move on together. You don’t separate. It’s not your way.”
Talyn thumped his head against the wall. “I was an idiot to move so fast. It seemed right. Sinead seemed right.” He thought of her pressed beneath him, their kisses like fire, warming him, calming him and making him feel alive. Making him feel he could achieve anything.
“So, why do you question it?”
“It doesn’t make Sinead happy. I felt her panic when she realized where she was and what was going on. As soon as she gets close to me, she backs away. I’m not good enough for her.”
“She has barriers, just like you.”
Talyn scraped a hand down his face. “I can’t shift them, not for long.”
“Could you be happy together?”
“I don’t know. Not if she’s miserable and I’m a screwed-up mess. I should petition the Lillip High Council. Maybe they’ll make a special dispensation because I joined with a human and not a Lillip. They’ll see that we have different standards and might consider breaking the partnership.”
