Silver Creek crimes against children are so easy to get away with.

Was he serious? Bat stared at Artaax for a long beat. He wasn't the type to joke—did the dude even have a sense of humor?—so she knew she should take him at face value. If not for their mother's and sister's recent appearance at the plateau, this might've made a lot more sense. But they were there... it slowly dawned on her that when Wildfire and company had departed Drageda, they hadn't known they'd find her, therefore Artaax had no way of knowing either.

Inhaling sharply, Bat shook her head. "I live with the Redhawks now, Artaax." As she informed him of this, she briefly (and a little wildly) entertained the notion of going back to Drageda with him. She could escape Wildfire and Kiwi, maybe even see nomi again one day. The thought made her heart pound, not in an entirely good way. She was still all mixed up after suppressing her memories, her feelings, for so long.

And, much as she was loath to admit it, even to herself, Bat couldn't leave Tegan. She was too attached to him now. He was the single most important person in her life. If she ever did decide to leave the plateau—whether to return to Drageda or simply go on the world's most epic road trip—Bat would never, ever make the mistake of leaving without telling him. She'd done that once, to others, and she wouldn't be repeating that terrible mistake, not now that she knew how it felt.

"I'm loyal to them." Well, to one of them, anyway. "And 'sides, mom and Kiwi are there now too. Oh, and Sequoia." Bat hoped that knowing she was with family would put Artaax at ease.