Water That’s Not Water  

"And I am?" chuckled He'dtaalh, half amused, half insulted. He knew just who the males were that his mate had called, even without the additional information he had gotten.

He didn't quite know when, why, where, or how he developed such a close bond with the others, but it was there. And even stronger than those he felt for his own blood family. He trusted those men with more than his very life; he trusted them with his mate.

Which was a lot more than what he could say about Yaun'dcha.

"Would you really kill me for them?" asked his brother softly. He'dtaalh turned his attention away just as Ba'dqeel took Ariel from Pure's arms and brought her over to the tank where Ma'stbaut was waiting at the edge.

"No," assured He'dtaalh with a smile, looking back at the male with his face, "I wouldn't kill you for them."