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

they began scrambling toward the valley floor. They ran, slipping and sliding. Every time one of them fell, the other helped him up. It seemed to take forever before they were on the valley floor, running as fast as a herd of frightened antelope toward the cave.

* * * *

    They raced into the cave, yelling.
    “It is not good! It is very bad!”
    “We must leave, Cia!”
    “Gather the children and as much as you can and run.”
    “Stop!”
    Lef, Sin, and Cia were talking at once.
    The panic in their voices was beginning to influence the rest of the clan, and if Cia didn’t get control of the situation, she would have screaming women and crying babies to contend with, not to mention the men. They were already riled up because they could not leave without their leader’s orders.
    Cia put a firm hand on Sin’s and Lef’s arms. “Stop at once,” she ordered in a quiet yet harsh voice.
    The men’s mouths slammed shut, and they gave each other guilty frowns.
    “But—” Sin opened his mouth, and Cia put a hand over his lips.
    “No!” She ordered. “The rest of you,” she gestured toward the dwellers standing around wringing their hands, “Go about your business. I will call you when it is time to talk.
    “Sin and Lef, sit down. Keep your mouths shut and act calm while Gem fixes your injuries. We will speak when she is done and not before.”
    Sin grumbled, and Cia tapped his lips with two fingers. “Do not speak.”
    Reluctantly, Sin and Lef sat down at Cia’s home fire. Gem, the cave’s medicine woman, brought her stone bowl of hot water and bag of herbs, and went about tending to the young men’s cuts and scrapes.
    Cia made herb tea while Gem worked. Neither woman spoke. Sin and Lef knew it was better to keep quiet until their leader wanted them to speak. An angry Cia was not a good thing.
    Every time Sin shifted his bottom, Cia gave him a warning scowl. It was good to be the baby brother of the clan’s leader, but she often treated him the same as everyone else. Long ago, she had told him she loved him, but even being her brother did not change the fact that she was the head of the clan and what she said was the final word.
    Cia handed the men each a bowl of steaming tea and signed for them to drink.
    Sin gagged but swallowed. “What is this, Cia? It tastes like dog poop smells.”
    “Just drink and do not ask questions. It will calm and sooth you.”
    When their tea bowls were empty, Gem was finished, and Cia thanked her for her help. Gem left them, and Cia spoke in a deadly quiet voice. “Tell me quickly and quietly what has happened to Pot. If you frighten the clan members, I will find some suitable punishment for you both, so be calm.”
    Lef looked at Sin. “You speak, brother.”
    “Pot’s belly bulge has grown large and will soon burst. His flames are higher than any fire I have ever seen. It is fearsome, Cia. Very dangerous. Soon, he will boil over the top and explode. There is a large crack in Pot’s side, and soon, his seed will flow from it. We must move the clan. Now!” Sin wanted to shout at his sister, but instead, he squeezed his hands together and prayed she would listen and believe.
    “What side is this crack on?”
    “Ours!”
    “I hear you, my brother, but Gem is about to deliver, and we haven’t found a safe cave.”
    “We do not have time to sit and wait. We must go now.”
    Cia frowned and began to pace. Her mate, the handsome, dark man, Let, who was Lef’s adopted brother, followed her with his eyes and frowned also. “We have looked and looked and can’t find a cave big enough for all of us, Sin.”
    “If Pot spills his guts, it will not matter. We will be burned alive, and I, for one, do not want to die.” At least, not until he had taken Em to his bed and mated with her at least once.
    “Do you want to die that way, my sister?”
    “No, but…”
    “Gather everything together. We must move.” Sin decided to take matters into his own hands.
    Let moved forward.