Chapter Sixteen

Book Your Tickets Now for Our Newest Goliaths’ Big Debut!

Crossbody

Our ‘redemption match’ on Sunday went fine.

Better than fine, in fact. It was ‘riveting,’ according to Holt, when he came into the backstage area after the show ended to congratulate us all.

“I think you’ve found your groove,” he told me and Vince, looking far happier and more relaxed than last week. “That was electrifying. Great stuff. We could really feel the tension, like you both had something to prove. Which you did ,” he added in a sterner voice. “I’m not going to tell you good job for sticking to the script this time, because that should be a fucking given.”

“They’ve been beyond professional in rehearsals, Holt,” Corey said, shooting us both a warm smile. “Receptive to feedback, efficient and working together seamlessly. I’m very impressed.”

“Fantastic.” Holt looked over expectantly and gestured between us. “So does that mean you’re… you know, getting along better?”

“No,” I said before Vince could answer, even though I knew it would be better to lie. But I just couldn’t bring myself to say that I had any kind of common ground with him. “But I think we’ve proven that we don’t let it affect our work.”

Corey sighed as he exchanged a look with Holt. Vince had his arms crossed as he leaned against the counter beside Dan, staring vacantly at the floor.

His long hair was damp from a shower, dark tendrils sticking to his neck and bare shoulders. He was shirtless, once again wearing only a towel slung low on his narrow hips. My fingers flexed when I found my gaze darting down to the lines of lean muscle disappearing under the knotted towel. I knew that just an inch or so lower there was a patch of trimmed, silky dark hair framing the base of his cock.

Heat crept up my neck as I quickly looked away. I shouldn’t have known that. And I certainly shouldn’t have been thinking about it.

My gaze darted back to him. He looked tired, the smudges that were permanently under his eyes darker than normal. The overhead lighting in the room cast shadows on his lean cheeks, his cheekbones high and prominent. There was a faint furrow between his dark brows, but otherwise his face was expressionless.

We hadn’t really spoken in days. Since that night in the arena. We’re barely talked during our rehearsals, and had both tried to aim any comments or questions we had at either Hogbody or Corey. We hadn’t even really made eye contact unless it was absolutely necessary.

I’d been sleeping terribly, and I didn’t know why. The silence in my house each night as I lay in bed had been pressing on my eardrums, making me tense and restless until I finally got up to distract myself. But now that our match was over, perhaps this restlessness would finally settle and go away. We’d proven ourselves to Holt. We’d done our jobs without any mishaps—at least, none that anyone knew about. Things would surely start going back to normal, and I could write this whole… thing off as an extended lapse in judgement.

Everything would go back to normal now, with Vince and I simply despising each other and nothing more. Nothing else. No other… encounters.

I was sure of it.

—

When I got to work on Monday morning, I walked into the main backstage area and found most of the others gathered around something on the wall.

Vince was among them, so I hesitated before making my way over. I was one of the taller people here, so I was able to see over most heads and spot four new posters pinned to the wall. They looked like the promotional posters for each of us that lined the hallway leading to the arena.

It didn’t take me long to realise what they were.

“Are these the new wrestlers?” I asked curiously, then tensed when I saw Vince’s shoulders stiffen slightly at the sound of my voice.

Usually, if I dared speak among the group, he immediately shot a snarky and sarcastic remark back at me. Even when it was a simple, innocent question.

He made me feel like an outsider here more than anyone else.

This time, however, he stayed silent. It was Gabe who answered, looking excited and fiddling with one of Biff’s wings as he wrapped an arm around the gargoyle’s wide back.

“Yep. Holt put these up this morning. They’re in the arena too.”

I moved to the side so Kit’s wings weren’t blocking me and peered over Susan’s head. Several unfamiliar faces stared back at me from the posters, each one in a different pose.

“Introducing…” they all said above the styled shots of the new wrestlers. Written underneath was, “See the big debut of our newest Goliaths. BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW!”

The first showed a slender woman with a tattered veil draped elegantly over her long white hair, which flowed as if she was underwater. She was deathly pale—in fact, she almost looked slightly translucent—with big, solid black eyes and dainty, gaunt features. She was wearing the artfully ripped remnants of what appeared to be a wedding dress, slashed into a tight-fitting crop top with a single lace sleeve, and a mini skirt with a long train flowing behind her.

La Dame Blanche was printed over her photo on the poster, and she was gazing at the camera with a haunted expression, one hand stretching out, her fingers long and thin and tipped with white claws.

“God, she’s hot,” Mads muttered, tilting her head as she gazed at the poster through her sunglasses.

“A phantom, I think.” Susan clapped her hands. “Ooh, I’m so excited to meet her!”

The second poster was of a huge, hulking masculine figure wearing a leather harness over his bare chest. His arms were crossed, veins popping in his huge biceps, and his skin was a dark, mottled green. Not orc skin—not a delicate sage like Corey’s—but darker and swampier looking.

His face, however, was hidden by a mask. Not one like Susan’s, which only covered her mouth and nose, but one that concealed him entirely. It was black and green, moulded with a heavy brow to make him look menacing, and through the eyeholes his eyes looked pitch black.

Printed across his hulking figure was his name. The Beast of Burden.

“Maybe an orc?” Kit asked uncertainly, and I parted my lips to disagree, then snapped my mouth shut again as my gaze flicked to Vince.

“He has the build for it,” Kenneth said, cocking his head. “But no, I don’t think so.”

“Beast of Burden,” Gabe said thoughtfully. “Maybe some kind of hybrid? Ooh, maybe he’s a Minotaur.”

“Minotaurs don’t have green skin,” Carl pointed out.

“Corey must know who the new folks are, right?” Vince said, and my gut tightened at the sound of his husky voice.

“Probably, but you know Corey,” Val said dryly. “He enjoys the theatrics. I doubt he’ll tell us.”

I shifted my gaze to the third poster, having to squint a little to make out the figures against the dark backdrop.

Shadowpeople, I realised. Two of them. They were standing side by side, obscured completely by long, flowing black cloaks, their faces hidden by shadows with only their glowing yellow eyes visible as they stared at the camera. They looked tall and thin, identical in height and build.

“Looks like Holt found his double act to replace Frank and Beans.” Heidi chuckled.

“The Ghastly Boys.” Biff read out their duo name and crossed his arms with a grunt. “Guess we’ll see just how ghastly they are, won’t we?”

“They sound hot.” Gabe smirked at him.

Finally, I took in the last poster, and my lip curled a little, because I already didn’t like the look of this one. He looked cocky. Like Vince.

He was smirking at the camera with his hands on his hips, which gave a clear view of the bright, yellowish-green luminescence glowing under his pale skin. He was leanly muscled—closer to Vince’s build than, say, Dan’s—and wearing a pair of skintight neon green leggings. His hair looked silvery-white, like a birch tree, and it was shaved close at the sides with a styled coif on top.

“John-o’-the-Wisp,” Kit said, reading out his name. They sounded a touch confused. “Isn’t it Will-o’-the-Wisp?”

“Maybe they’re related,” Dan said in amusement as Vince snickered and nudged his arm.

“So their launch is in a few weeks?” Susan asked, peering at the date on the bottom of the posters. “Do you think Holt will pair them up together or with us for their debuts?”

“Surely with us, right?” Vince asked sceptically. “He wouldn’t put two newbies together for their first match.”

“If they debut in less than a month, they must be starting really soon,” Mads added. “They’ll need longer to rehearse.”

Everyone glanced over when the doors opened. Corey swept in, carrying Cora under his arm, and stopped when he saw us.

“Ah, good.” He walked over with a big smile. “You’ve seen.”

“When do they get here, Corey?” Gabe asked eagerly.

“Do they have any experience, or are we going to have to teach them everything?” Biff asked gruffly.

“Do you know what the Beast is?” Kit piped up.

Corey laughed lightly, tossing back his hair. “Now I know this is exciting, everyone, but save your questions for Holt. He’ll be coming by later to fill you in. And,” he added brightly, “so will our new colleagues.”

“They’re coming in today?” Val asked.

Corey nodded. “Yes, just to meet the team. So please, everyone, be on your best behaviour. Be warm . Make them feel welcome.” He glanced at me, standing at the back of the group, then sought out Vince before clearing his throat. I stiffened. “Crossbody, Vince. If I could have a word with you both?”

Flexing my fingers anxiously by my sides, I walked over to him as Vince broke away from the group and reluctantly approached, his gaze averted. He made sure to keep several feet of space between us when he stopped and crossed his arms.

“Alright.” Corey looked between us with a mildly concerned expression. “I’m grateful for how well you worked together last week, and I know Holt is too, but I really do think we can go further. Repair this damaged relationship.”

“We’ve never been friends,” I said woodenly. “There’s no relationship to repair.”

“Then let’s grow one. Together.” He tried to reach for both our hands, realised Cora was tucked under his arm, and kissed the top of her head before setting her down. She scampered off with a little bark as Corey took my hand and did the same to Vince.

We both visibly tensed. If Corey tried to put my hand in Vince’s, I was going to quit. On the spot.

Which may have been an overreaction, considering his finger had been inside me, but I still would.

“Corey—” Vince began, voice filled with dread.

“We’re going to work through this together ,” he said emphatically, squeezing our hands and giving them a little shake to drive his point home. “Holt’s given me the go-ahead. We’re doing couples therapy.”

“What?” I rasped in horror, just as Vince squawked, “Who?”

“You two.” Corey beamed at us. “I’m a certified counsellor.”

“We’re not a fucking couple,” Vince spluttered.

“Well, no, but a lot of the techniques will still apply. We’ll be working through your differences. These… blockages that are stopping you from—”

“No.” I yanked my hand free. “No, Corey. We will not be doing that. I cannot stress enough just how strongly I mean this: I cannot think of anything fucking worse.”

“Same,” Vince blurted, his jaw clenched.

Corey released his hand and raised his brows at us in an approving look. “See? It’s already working. You’re finding common ground.”

“You can’t force us to attend therapy, Corey,” Vince ground out.

“Well, actually…” Corey demurely inspected his fingernails. “Holt loved the idea. And he has in fact insisted that you attend at least a few sessions. So we can attempt to rid the workplace of the oppressive energy your animosity creates while our new co-workers are settling in.”

“Holt can insist all he wants,” I snapped. “He still can’t force us to do it. This is nonsense, Corey.”

The orc sighed and briefly closed his eyes. “I had such high hopes.” His green eyes opened again and fixed on us. “I’m very disappointed, you two. I’d thought, after last week, you’d at least be open to the idea. Don’t you want to resolve this?”

“No,” I bit out through clenched teeth.

“You’re acting like children. Clinging on to this pettiness for no reason. Because there is no reason for you to dislike each other.” He placed a big hand on his chest, eyes growing a little wet. “You’re both wonderful people. You mean so much to me, and I can’t stand seeing you like this.”

Vince scrubbed his face hard and groaned, “Corey…”

“I love you both so much, and I just want us to all be happy here.”

“Corey, please,” I muttered, my shoulders hunching and wings tucking in tight with embarrassment.

“We’re a family , and I cannot just stand by and see two members of my Goliaths family mired in such—”

“Alright, fine,” Vince grated, cringing and shoving his hair back irritably. “Jesus. Fine.”

Corey turned his big green eyes on me and waited, hand still over his heart.

For fuck’s sake.

“Fine,” I got out at length, hands clenching repeatedly into fists.

Instantly, Corey stopped being weepy and gave us a beaming smile. “Wonderful!”

Vince huffed as he realised at the same moment I did that we’d both just been played by the orc.

“Let’s have our first session next week,” Corey was saying brightly, bending down to scoop up Cora, who’d reappeared at some point and had been panting merrily as she waited by his feet. “And until then, please, no squabbles in front of the new wrestlers. You’re both angels. Kisses!”

He turned and swept out of the room. I was tense and vibrating with something, I didn’t know what, as Vince turned to walk away. For the first time since last week, he looked me dead in the eyes, and I knew exactly what he was thinking without him saying a word.

This is all your fault. Again.