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l to release them
undamaged; and he never hunted near his home, though he kept lodges
like this one throughout the vast area surrounding his own grounds.
When he retrieved this woman from the water he had thought to take
her when recovered, but had lapsed into unconsciousness
almost immediately; as fierce and terrible a foe as he was, his
basic instincts insisted that he not allow any innocent being to be
harmed by his casual indifference. He carried Nysa with him here
and was beginning to be glad that he had.
Nysa had made 's muscles ache anew in 's struggle for release from
this horrible demon's solid, hard arms. relaxed when saw
that hers was a useless fight, but he must have anticipated a greater
show from 's because he refused to slacken his hold. The heavy,
musky odor was more reminiscent of men than of animals and, in close
quarters, could see only his human half. Even his horns were
small and the thickness of his hair hid all but their tips. Nysa
searched his face for some sign that he was as human as his torso
suggested, and realized with shock that this was the face that had
haunted 's dreams when scared herself to sleep thinking about
the prophecy. The first time saw goats mating, and
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