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“Be nice to our brother-in-law.” Averett shoved a wave of water at both Edmund and Julien.

The water fight quickly devolved into a bunch of dunking and thrashing. Though, they left Farrendel out of it. They might feel comfortable lightly teasing him, but they were being careful not to push him farther than he was comfortable going.

A part of him was grateful. But another part, the larger part, wanted to belong to this family. Could he be one of them in a way he had never managed with his own family?

His family had always been distant, and not just because he was illegitimate. He was much younger than the rest of his siblings. His brother had already been married by the time Farrendel had been born, with Farrendel’s nephew Ryfon born only fifteen years after Farrendel was.

It was not an uncommon problem among elves to have siblings so strung apart that they never managed to be close. And yet, Farrendel had not managed to be close to his nephew and niece either.

Perhaps this was his chance to do things again and be a part of a family.

Diving beneath the water, he hugged the bottom, coming up beneath Edmund. Grabbing his ankle, Farrendel yanked him underwater before darting out of reach.

He popped to the surface a few seconds before Edmund, bracing himself for the reaction.

Edmund came up with a big grin. “Well done, little brother. I didn’t realize you could be that sneaky.”

Was that a smile he felt tugging on his face? Farrendel splashed a wave of water at Edmund.

Somehow, the water fight turned into him and Averett against Julien and Edmund. Until Farrendel had met Essie, and then her family, he had forgotten how to have fun like this.

When he finally climbed from the water, he wrung the water from his hair, then reached for his shirt, intending to pull it on as quickly as possible.

Footsteps crunched on the bank and halted behind Farrendel. “Essie mentioned you had scars.”

Edmund. Farrendel gripped his shirt, knuckles whitening, skin crawling. Feeling those stares. Imagining their judgment.

“Pretty impressive.” Julien’s voice and tone had Farrendel glancing up. Julien pointed to a scar down the length of his arm. “I got pushed from a tree.”

“You fell. Not my fault.” Edmund strolled into Farrendel’s line of sight. He pointed at a scar that ran across his stomach. “A little argument with some border guards.”

He did not say which border and whose guards. Farrendel did not dare ask, though a scar like that was done with a bladed weapon, not a gun.

Averett tapped the scar of a bullet wound to his shoulder. “Assassination attempt.”

“We all have our scars.” Julien shrugged. “They aren’t a big deal.”

They did not care? He had caught his own family talking about his scars once, saying how it was a shame he was so scarred. How they needed to make sure they kept loving him since it was doubtful anyone else would.

But Essie had. And, maybe, her family too.

Still, Farrendel breathed a sigh when he had his shirt on, more relaxed with his scars covered.

Edmund halted with his shirt halfway on, one arm in, one arm still wedged trying to get into the arm hole. “I have an idea.”

“That sounds ominous.” Julien tugged his shirt over his head.

Edmund’s grin widened. “No, this is a great idea. I think you’ll like this one.”

When Edmund’s gaze focused on him, Farrendel’s stomach sank. Julien might like this idea, but would he?

“Your Farrendel is asweetheart.” Paige smirked, strolling along the path next to Essie.

“He is.” Essie resisted the urge to glance over her shoulder.

Paige giggled. “I’ve never seen you look so swoony.”

Essie’s cheeks hurt from her grinning. “Well, he is very easy to swoon over.”