Nightfall (Devil's Night 4)

It just took me longer to figure things out. I didn’t dive into anything head first. Aydin seemed to know that.

Had to hand it to him… I understood why he was the alpha now.

“Emory…” Will said.

I didn’t move.

Aydin dressed, and I clutched the clothes, my legs charged to just head back to my room.

“Em…” he said again in a lower voice.

Tears filled my eyes, and I heard a quiet chuckle come from Aydin. “Micah and Rory are drunk by now,” he told Will, “and you’re going to leave without the only thing you want.”

Me.

Aydin pulled his T-shirt over his head and met my eyes. “You happened to him.”

Nothing happened to me. I wasn’t a victim, and this was the last time I’d hesitate.

I pulled on the shorts and rolled them over a couple of times, and Aydin walked out of the room as Will’s eyes bore a hole in my back. I didn’t even have my shirt on yet before Will charged out of the room, slamming the door against the wall on his way, and I whipped my head around, looking at Alex.

A crash hit the floor downstairs, and a moment passed before she shot off, running after them.

I threw on my T-shirt, pulled off the towel, and flipped my wet hair back out of my face as I ran out of the room. I looked left and right, not seeing anything, but a scuffle hit my ears, and I leaned over the balcony, seeing Aydin with Will in a headlock on the floor of the foyer.

Shit.

Alex rushed in, but Will shot out his hand. “Don’t,” he yelled. “Stay back.”

She halted, and I hurried down the stairs as Will and Aydin rolled over on the floor, Aydin strangling him, and Will struggling for air.

“Stop!” I shouted.

Will laid on top of Aydin and threw his head back, trying to hit Aydin with the back of his skull, but the other man jerked out of the way just in time. They both scrambled, their dark hair wet and messy as Will flipped over and tried to get a hold of Aydin’s neck.

They shot out their legs, tumbling to the side, and the candelabra toppled over, the candles rolling to the edges of the room.

The men wrestled, and I shot my hands to my hair, trying to figure out what to do. Will could wrestle. What was going on?

And if he couldn’t beat Aydin, why had he gone after him?

Enough. They were both getting locked in the cellar tonight.

I ran into the drawing room and pulled the longarm off the wall—an antique from World War I, it looked like—and dashed back into the foyer, stepping in and kicking Aydin off Will.

He fell back to the floor, but before he could dive back in, I pointed the gun, the bayonet pointing right as his neck.

“Enough!” I yelled.

I’d forgotten my glasses in the shower, but I could see Aydin’s cocked eyebrow well enough.

Will shot off the floor, coming for him again, but Alex grabbed him by the jeans and smacked him over the head.

I fought not to laugh, because that’s how funny all of this was.

Grown men…

I didn’t have time do more, though. Taylor, Micah, and Rory arrived on the scene, wet from the pool and their eyes darting between all of us.