“Yes.” He shrugged. “If I miss a rung, it just be mud.”
Matt snorted a laugh. “I woould like to see that.”
“Hey,” I protested.
“Noot you. Him,” he corrected. “He’s far too clean.”
It was true. Sebastian was quite disgustingly pristine. Even Matt had dirt in his fur.
“Okay. Let’s try it. But grip is an issue, for me, and for Matt.” I eyed the rope. “Maybe if we split the rope in two? We could tie ourselves on.”
Sebastian drew a knife from somewhere on his body.
“Crikey. Where were yoou hiding that?” Matt demanded.
“Trade secret,” the Bellati said calmly as he sliced the rope in two.
Mari kneeled while we tied Matt onto her.
“Good thing I have noo dignity,” Matt complained as I tied the last knot around his hindquarters.
“I’m getting tied up too,” I pointed out.
Matt’s eyes glowed. “Rather yoou were tied to me, thoough.”
I rolled my eyes.
Sebastian turned his back to me. “Run it around your waist and under my right arm, then over my left, and tie it back to your waist. You can drape your arms the same way, but the rope will take some strain.”
He kneeled, making it easier for me to fasten the rope. Touching him was like touching steel, there wasn’t a spare ounce of flesh anywhere on him. My fingers itched to run over him, and the thing inside me wanted to finish what it had tried to start at the bridge.
I breathed deep and pushed it back. His shoulders were so wide that I wouldn’t be able to see past them unless I could keep myself high enough to look over. Which I doubted. “You sure about this?” I asked him.
He nodded. “We won’t end up in the mud.”
“Is that a challenge?” Matt asked.
“No challenges,” Mari protested as she stood, and Matt dangled from her back. “Or I’ll dump you on purpose. This is not a competition.”
“Everything’s a competitioon,” the Dire stated.
Sebastian snorted. I crouched behind him, fastening the rope, but leaned over to see how Matt and Mari fared.
Mari could reach the first rung without jumping. She bent her arms to lift her feet off the ground, and swung back and forth to generate momentum. Then she let go and grabbed the next rung in line.
Her feet were only about a foot above the thick sludge as she made her way across. She almost missed two rungs that were farther along, and I held my breath as she whipped her other arm forward to assist, and her toes dipped into the mud. But they reached the other side.
“Okay, that’s our cue,” I informed Sebastian as he straightened. I dangled from his back.
“Wrap your legs around my waist,” he said. “It will keep you more stable.” He reached back and grabbed first one, then the other, linking my ankles in front of him. “Give me the end of the rope,” he suggested.
I did so, and he wound it around my ankles. My entire body tingled as he did so—I couldn’t tell for sure, but I thought my heels were sitting in a rather delicate location. I had to focus on my breathing.
“Hope we don’t have to get untangled in a hurry,” I said. My voice didn’t sound anything like me.
He hesitated, as though he considered saying something, but decided not to as he faced the ladder.
“Ready?” he asked.
