“Yes, there is that as well,” Rowan admitted as she focused on Avaleigh and Angelle. “My son is a wonderfully talented male. He makes beautiful wooden statues and figurines, some are life-sized and very realistic. He makes game boards and pieces, just about anything you can imagine — he can create. In the last few years he’s begun to sell some of them and makes a nice profit. But he’s got his father’s personality. He’s very dramatic, and a huge flirt. If he didn’t have horns that identified him as other than human, he would be famous world-wide, I have no doubt.”
“Or an academy award winning actor,” Felicity said.
“I can just as easily see that, as I can the world renowned artist,” Rowan said.
“But he’s a good male. And he’s got a kind heart,” Felicity said. “We love our Marauder.”
“Wait… Marauder? Like the Marauder that Analise loves?” Avaleigh asked.
“Analise?” Rowan asked.
“My niece, Analise. Her mother, Everly, is a sculptor. Both are very artistic people and love the wooden pieces made by some infamously reclusive artist named Marauder. Analise loves the mystery as much as the wooden carvings, themselves. She scours every art market, every art show looking for anything by him. She’s got a huge wooden pelican created by him that is sitting on the corner post of her porch, and a squirrel mounted on the trunk of one of the old pine trees in her back yard. Last I heard her father, Bam, was trying to find a couple of pieces he could afford for both Analise and Everly for Christmas this year.”
Rowan smiled. “My son is one and the same. He does allow some of his pieces to be slipped into shows here and there, but never with any advance warning.”
“How does he get his art to the right people to be sold, and still manage to remain unknown?” Avaleigh asked.
“Enthrall delivers them in the middle of the night. It’s most usually a different gallery, and with no warning, so it’s not like the galleries can advertise that they’ll have one of his works to auction off. At first it was a little iffy to even consider, but after the first few pieces sold so well it’s not anymore. His carvings have become so sought after, each time a gallery finds one left for them to market, they’re thrilled. There’s a private bank account that the proceeds of the sales are transferred to, less the gallery’s cut, of course. That’s how he gets paid.”
“Analise would lose her mind if she found out that we met Marauder,” Angelle said.
“Everly, too. You know, if he might happen to have a few smaller pieces available, I’d love to buy some for Bam to give his mate and daughter,” Avaleigh said.
“I'm not really sure what he’s got that he’s interested in parting with, but we can ask. His shop is out back. If you’d like, I’ll find out if he minds us taking a look around,” Rowan said with a chuckle.
Felicity chuckled along with her, as Angelle and Avaleigh shared a wondering look.
“Sorry,” Felicity said. “It’s such a mess out there. I know each artist has their own process, and he’s no different, but his shop is an awful mess.”
“It really is. He refuses to clean it. He says that the mess is tiny remnants of pieces long sold and they inspire him,” Rowan explained.
“I love that,” Angelle said.
“He’s got a true artist’s soul,” Avaleigh said.
“He really does. He’s always had a flare for the dramatic. And Marauder’s always been very, very sensitive. He and Boon grew up together, along with the other kids of their generation. They’re all fairly close. But Marauder and Boon especially have been friends all their lives despite their totallyopposite personalities. They are both Gargoyles so they tended to gravitate toward one another, in youth anyway. Since they’ve grown into adulthood, they’ve remained friends, though they’ve got very different interests,” Rowan said.
“I’m looking forward to hearing some of their childhood stories,” Angelle said.
“You’ll be fully entertained. There are so many different people here, Angelle, and we all have so many different interests, and personalities. Oh! Remember to ask about the story of Lucitari calling down a lightning bolt to strike her mate, Murder, in the butt,” Felicity said as she started laughing.
“It’s hilarious,” Rowan said, laughing whole-heartedly.
“You won’t be bored here. You’ll have the best of friends. And we’d be so proud to count you among our own. Take your time, think about it. Don’t do anything until you’re ready. But if you choose to live here, you’ll be a part of something very special as a part of our community and mate to Boon,” Felicity said.
“She’s right. But you’re right to take your time. Being a mate doesn’t mean you have to accept it,” Rowan said.
“Thank you for understanding,” Angelle said. “I’ve never been anywhere without my family. I’m awkward in crowds and with strangers. I’m a mess socially, and to consider leaving my home is really doing a number on me. But I’m here, and I’m making every effort to allow myself to step out of my comfort zone and give it a chance.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Rowan asked.
Angelle nodded.
“If you’re that out of your comfort zone, why consider leaving home at all? Why put yourself though it?”
Angelle smiled softly. “Boon. This is where he lives. And I really don’t want to be where he’s not.”
“I am probably not the right person to weigh in on this conversation, because Boon is my child. But if you would indulge me a little bit of my own opinion…” Carolena said.
