Page 115 of The Alpha's Protective Mate

I relent. “It’s behind the waterfall.”

“Interesting.” Robert grins despite being completely soaked in this cold weather. “This is like a treasure hunt in the middle of the night. Things are never going to be boring with you around, Charlotte.”

My lips twitch without my meaning for them to. I don’t know how he can make me want to laugh even in this sort of situation.

Getting past the waterfall is easier than I thought. There is a large gap behind the sheet of water that is only visible if you stand at a certain angle. We manage to climb up and then behind it.

“There’s nothing but a cave here,” Robert mutters, running his hands over the surface. However, I know exactly where to look. Moving forward, I take two steps to the right and touch a piece of the stone.

“Here. I can’t see properly in the dark. What do you see?”

Robert comes to stand next to me. “There’s a door. Hold on.”

I feel him move, and then there is a clicking sound.

“Get back, Charlotte,” Robert warns. “It’s a bit rusty. I’m going to have to force it.”

I move aside, and then I hear him kick the door. It makes a groaning sound as it opens.

“Stay behind me.” Robert warns.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” I mutter, the whispers in my head finally dying out and leaving me in peace. “I still can’t see anything, though. What do you see?”

“Narrow passage,” Robert replies after a moment’s hesitation. “I hate tight spaces.”

“You don’t have to—”

He doesn’t let me finish my sentence. “I’ll go first.”

I follow him, wondering why he’s so determined to do this. He’s probably curious, just like me. We walk for quite a while before Robert stops and I bump into his back.

“Robert?”

“Stay here and don’t move,” he orders, his footsteps echoing away from me a second later. The smart move would be to listen to him since I don’t know what is in here, but I’ve already made a series of dumb decisions tonight. What’s one more?

“Charlotte…” Robert’s growl vibrates through my bones as I cover the distance between us and grab the back of his wet shirt for guidance.

“I got scared standing there by myself,” I claim, smiling at the back of his head.

“I don’t know if anyone has ever told you, but you’re a terrible liar,” he mutters. “Stay close. I know you can’t see in the dark.”

I’ve never had anyone try to protect me or shield me the way Robert does. It makes me want to lean on him.

After a couple minutes, the tiny passage suddenly widens into a room that is just as dark. My free hand grazes something that feels like the surface of a mirror. It’s not fixed in place, and as I run my fingers over it, it moves—and for a moment, there is a flash of light.

“What the hell was that?” Robert exclaims.

My hand drops from the back of his shirt, and I rotate the mirror. Out of nowhere, when I hold it at a certain angle, the room suddenly lights up, and I have to squint.

“What did you do?” Robert turns to look at me, and when I open my eyes, I notice that there are mirrors all over the place. Small ones.

But I haven’t heard his question. My eyes are staring straight ahead at a larger-than-life portrait of a couple. Robert sees my shocked look and follows my gaze. I hear his sharp intake of breath.

When he looks back at me, I shake my head. “I’m just as astounded as you are.”

“What is this place, Charlotte?” His voice is hard. “Why is there a huge-ass portrait of us in medieval clothes? And how did you know where this was?”

The whole thing seems a little too suspicious, and I can’t blame Robert for doubting me.

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