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I couldn’t let Vince distract me, make me sloppy. I was damn good at my job, and I refused to let anything or anyone take that away from me. I’d earned my place here, damn it. Even if I still felt like an outsider most of the time.

After taking a deep breath, I turned and walked back to the ring. Instantly, my frustration rose again when I saw Vince waiting for me. He was suddenly full of energy, eager and grinning as he shook out his hands and bounced on the balls of his feet. Because he knew he would soon be humiliating me again. This time in front of an audience.

I hated him so much.

Chapter Seven

High Lord Crossbody vs. The Rolling Rimmer

Vince

I loved the moment just before a match.

Standing alone behind those big doors, waiting to make my entrance. Hearing the muffled sounds of the crowd on the other side, and David the commentator announcing that everyone should return to their seats because the next match was about to start.

Then those few seconds of stillness, as the crowd grew quiet in anticipation, the interval music lowered, and David allowed a pregnant pause to fill the arena before introducing the wrestlers.

“Making his way to the ring, weighing in at one hundred and eighty pounds…”

I stretched my neck and shook out my hands, making sure I was steady on my skates.

I couldn’t fucking wait for this match.

“Don’t boogie too close to that hungry mouth, folks… It’s… The Rolling Rimmerrrr!”

I heard a hiss as the doors began to open in front of me. Disco music blared through the arena, and multicoloured lights flashed over me as I took a breath and skated out onto the walkway.

A grin stretched my mouth as the crowd screamed and the people closest, seated right up against the walkway, reached down frantically and waved. I was in a fucking fantastic mood, more than ready to put Crossbody on his ass, so I decided to show off a little more than normal.

I spun in a wide circle as I made my way down the walkway, then effortlessly moved into a backflip and landed on my skates to glide the rest of the way backward, holding my arms up for the crowd. When I reached the ring, I seamlessly slipped under the ropes in a split before leaping to my feet and skating to each corner, gesturing at the crowd to cheer louder.

Crossbody was waiting to enter the ring, and I wanted him to hear how much they loved me. Not him. He’d called me a joke.

I’d show him how much of a fucking joke I was.

Surprisingly, our rehearsals had been completely uneventful. Well, after Crossbody threw a little fucking tantie about me performing my signature move on him. Corey had overseen our practice sessions, so we’d both been on our best behaviour. Plus, neither of us wanted to touch each other longer than necessary, so we’d performed our moves quickly and efficiently so each rehearsal could end as soon as possible.

Hogbody had still managed to find something to grumble about, obviously.

“It’s technically sound,” he’d grunted at our final rehearsal earlier today. “But it’s like watching two robots who’ve been programmed to smack each other around a bit. For god’s sake, put some fucking spunk into it tonight.”

Neither of us had answered, the air growing a little uncomfortable from Hogbody’s choice of wording.

There would definitely be no spunk involved, but I was going to perform my damn ass off to show that prick just how good I was at my job. If he still wanted to be all stiff and awkward and act like a fucking baby because he didn’t get to win, that was on him. He was the only one who’d look bad.

Excitement and determination tightened my gut when the disco music faded away and David started speaking over the mic again.

“Aaaand making his way to the ring, weighing in at two hundred and fifty pounds… Folks, you love him, you fear him…”

I just about managed to stop my lip from curling as the crowd started cheering louder again, and golden smoke billowed from the other walkway entrance. Regal music began to play, making me want to snort. He was such a pompous ass.

“…and what should you never do?” David asked the audience.

“Cross him!” they screamed. Paxton, our camera guy, kept a camera trained on me while one of his smoke tendrils operated another, getting ready to capture High Lord Crossbody’s entrance.

He glided out onto the walkway. I remembered to react accordingly, shaking my head and skating back and forth across the mat like I was pacing impatiently, but my gut was tightening even further as I watched him.

I could, begrudgingly, understand why the crowd went wild for him. He looked like a royal fae, like some ethereal mystical being, different from the fae who’d lived in this world their whole lives.