The stares of everyone in the room burned. Eris had known the others would learn her secret eventually, but she had wanted just a bit longer before they resented her. Hated her.

Like Clo had. Their delicate shell of new friendship was cracked. Had she hated Eris all along?

“Clo,” Rhea whispered. “What are you talking about?”

“Ask her,” Clo snarled.

Eris’s hand went into her pocket. She felt for the firewolf, her talisman. “I never said I was different,” she said, ignoring Rhea’s question.

“No, I guess you didn’t.” Clo laughed bitterly. “You never even told me why you really left the Empire. Someone you cared about? Silting lies—”

“That wasn’t a lie.” Eris flinched at the hoarse, broken note of her words. Clo’s mouth snapped shut. “What happened with him—” Eris broke off. The firewolf felt like it burned in her palm. “The Empire takes everything from us, Clo. You know that more than anyone.”

“It gave you more than anyone else and you still ran like a godsdamn coward. You could have changed everything. You could have fought.”

You could have made it better, a small, inner voice accused. Like you promised Xander.

“Yes,” Eris whispered. “I ran. I was grieving and didn’t know what else to do, and I regret it. Is that what you want me to say? I regret it. But I’m fighting the only way I know how.”

Clo backed away, almost bumping into Ariadne. “I don’t want you to say anything. I don’t want anything from you. You’ve already done enough.”

Clo stomped out the door, her limp more pronounced.

Eris stood in the center of the dead man’s office, as lost as she’d been three years ago after Xander’s death, Clo’s words echoing in her ears. The projection still displayed the thousands of dead on a planet that could have been hers if she had only kept her promise to Xander. All of those people would be alive.

A godsdamned coward.

When Eris glanced at Ariadne, the girl stared back with a flicker of fear. And you don’t even know the whole truth, Eris thought. You’d be so much more afraid if you did. Eris had tried so hard to atone for her former life. No matter what she did, it would never be enough. It didn’t matter.

Eris felt a hand on her sleeve. Rhea. The other woman still looked unwell, unsteady on her feet. “Give her a bit of time to calm,” Rhea said. “But let’s do it back on the ship and wait for the supplies there. This place is poison.”

Eris nodded. “Thank you.” Her hand brushed against Rhea’s as she moved for the door. “Let’s—”

Rhea gasped. Her eyes went wide, pupils dilating.

The overhead lights flickered.

“Rhea?” Eris shook her. “Rhea!”