Page 59 of Lumi

I pressed my hands to my stomach, feeling another round of excruciating pain that had me bending over and coughing. My stomach had no content left to spill.

Feeling cold and sorry for myself, I staggered down the road, away from the celebration of Damian’s and Siobhan’s love for each other.

Back when the Clontarf hotel was built more than half a millennium ago, this place had all been farmland. But now Clontarf was a suburb to Dublin, with houses and streets.

When I came to a small traffic circle, I kept going without any sense of direction.

A woman with a small dog stopped when she was close. “Oh dear, what’s the matter, lass? Ye look like ye’ve been battling Satan himself. Did someone hurt ye?”

I shook my head with tears still streaming down my face. My skin prickled from the cold that was visible as a cloud of moisture when I spoke. “I’m a guest at a wedding… up there.” I threw a nod back in the direction of the castle.

“Oh.” The older woman looked at the helmet in my hands. “I don’t think ye’re allowed to take that thing. I know the staff, and they’re very proud of that armor. It’s antique and everythin’.”

“I didn’t mean to take it, but the man I love is marrying today. It made me sick.” My shoulders slumped as I looked at the dark helmet. “I didn’t have a bucket to throw up in.”

“Oh lord, sounds like ye’ve had a rough day. Tell ye what, I live close by, and I’ve got an outside hose that we can use to clean that thing. Then you can take it back like nothin’ happened.” She placed an arm around me. “Ye must be freezing in that thin dress.”

Half an hour later, I returned with a simple plan. I would sneak in and return the helmet, grab my purse, and leave before I could cause any more trouble.

The first part of the plan went well. Someone had put the armor back together, and I was able to place the helmet on top without its collapsing again. To my relief, the dinner hadn’t been served yet. The guests were still mingling, making the room buzz with white noise from talk and laughter. I deliberately avoided meeting anyone’s gaze as I moved along the wall with my focus on the chair where I’d placed my purse when we first got in. Just as I reached it, a hand grabbed my elbow from behind. I jumped and gave a small shriek before I spun to see Atlas staring at me.

“Where have you been?”

“I needed some fresh air.”

“Your skin is ice cold. What were you thinking?”

Jerking my elbow back, I sidestepped him. “I had a case of food poisoning, and I needed a bit of alone time.”

“Lumi, what the hell is going on? You’re acting strange.” Atlas followed me as I hurried out the way I’d come in, grabbing my jacket from the rack.

“You’re not leaving, are you?”

I avoided looking at him and kept my head down as I spoke fast, hating that my voice was out of breath from my heart’s speeding away. “I don’t feel well. Can you tell the others I had to go home?”

“I’ll drive you. I’m only in town for the wedding anyway. I wanted to spend some time with you.”

“No, you should stay, Atlas. It’s fine. I’ll take a taxi.”

“I don’t understand,” he muttered behind me when I left.

I’d made it halfway down the driveway from the hotel when I heard running steps behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Damian, and it made me move faster, but with my high heels, he caught up in no time.

“Lumi, stop!”

I didn’t slow down until he ran up and cut me off.

“Where are ye going?”

“Home. I don’t feel well.”

“Have ye told them?” Damian’s fingers dug into my arm.

My jaw tensed as my eyes clashed with his. “Told them what?”

“About our night together.”

I pushed his hand away and sneered low, “The one you told me never happened?”