Denis, Cherie - Sin [Caveman Love 3] (Siren Publishing Allure) by Cherie Denis

SIN
    Caveman Love 3

    CHERIE DENIS
    Copyright © 2011

    His foot slipped on the shale, and a piece flew out, barely missing his brother-friend, Lef. “Sorry,” Sin mumbled, scrabbling for a better finger hold. Another rock shot out from under his foot.
    Lef grumbled, “Slow down, Sin. You are getting dirt in my eyes.”
    “We are late. We must hurry, or we will not get back to the cave before Tec leaves the sky.”
    “It is your fault we are late,” Lef was quick to remind Sin. “If you had not wanted to stop and watch Em and Ria bathe, we would have had lots of time.”
    Sin shrugged his shoulders. “You are right, my brother. I will not argue with you since it is the truth.” He turned and stared down at Lef. “Admit it, my friend. You wanted to watch them also.”
    Lef’s full lips curved in a broad grin. “Yes. You are right. It was worth wasting time to watch them. They are both so beautiful.”
    Sin dug his long, thin fingers into the loose rock and pulled himself up to the next outcrop. Here, it was hotter, and the wind tore at his hair. He rubbed his face on his bare shoulder. The sweat rolling down his forehead burned his eyes and made it almost impossible to see.
    Sin pushed with his bare feet and in moments was seated on a narrow ledge. “Hurry up, Lef.” Sin ran his dirty fingers through his hair, brushing it back.
    Lef’s grinning face appeared over the edge.
    Sin and Lef had grown up together, and Sin could count on one hand the times Lef had frowned. His friend was almost always in a good mood. Ria had told Sin once in secret she thought Lef was the handsomest warrior in their clan. Sin wasn’t so sure he agreed, but he would admit his friend was nice to look at.
    “Move over, my brother,” Lef ordered, pulling himself up to plant his ass on the ledge next to Sin. “How much longer?”
    “You keep asking, and I will leave you behind,” Sin grumbled. He peered over his shoulder. “We are almost there. If we hurry, we will be at the top and be home before dark.”
    Lef carried their water in a pouch slung over his neck. He turned the strap, pulled the plug of grass out of the pouch, took a hearty drink, and handed it to his brother-friend. “Drink, my friend, and then we will move on toward the top.”
    Under their bottoms, the earth heaved and moaned. Sin’s eyebrows shot up, as did Lef’s. “We must hurry. Pot is growing angrier with each passing of Tec, the sun god.”
    Lef took a second drink of the cool, nearly tasteless water, put the grass plug back in the top, and stood. He draped the strap of the water pouch over his shoulder and pushed it around until it rested comfortably at his back. “I am ready. Lead on, my brother.”
    Sin took the hand Lef offered and let his friend pull him to his feet. The ground wobbled and sighed. It was not a good sign. The signs had been growing worse by the day, and this was the third trip up the side of Pot the two had made in the past five passings of Tec.
    Sin’s sister, Cia, leader of their clan, was worried. The great volcano, Pot, was going to explode one day soon, and she was making plans to move the dwellers to a new location. Cia and her mate, Let, Lef’s older brother, had been searching far and wide for a new cave that would not be in the path of Pot’s anger.
    This was not the first time the volcano had erupted, and the dwellers knew well what destruction Pot could leave after an explosion. The dwellers were nervous, edgy, and anxious to be on their way. Cia insisted Sin and Lef, being the most agile of the dwellers, be the ones to climb to the top of Pot and see how large the dome inside had grown. Knowing the size would give Cia an idea how much time they had left before the eruption.
    Pot grumbled, and Sin shuddered. He wished they had not spent so long watching Em and Ria bathing, but still he felt it had been worth the lost time. He had been keeping track of the moons rising and waning, waiting anxiously as Em grew into full