Eleanor ran her fingers down his chest, which was covered with many scars. She was very sad when she imagined how much torture he had endured over the months. She couldn't hold her tears.
"They are so cruel," she murmured, almost choking in the end.
"This pain is nothing," he said, reaching out to wipe her tears. "The agony of being apart from you was unbearable. I was worried about you." He paused momentarily and added, "Connor lied to me that he kept you with him and sexually exploited you."
Eleanor was frozen in place, gaping at him. Her surprised expression quickly turned to rage. "Such a liar," she hissed. "He handed me over to Damien after rescuing me from the dungeon... that jerk... he claimed to be my mate."
"What did you say? Mate?" Zane was taken aback and frowned deeply. "How can you be his mate? You are mine." He became suddenly jealous and drew her into his embrace possessively. "You are my mate, my woman."
