Lyonne Riley > Quotes

“I didn’t ask what you wanted for your people.” His gaze is intense. “I ask what you, the Queen, want for yourself.”
― Lyonne Riley, Prince of Beasts

“She’s the salve I need on all my burns and scars, on this hopelessness that’s taken up a permanent home in my chest.”
― Lyonne Riley, Keeping the Human's Heart

“You smell like spring. Like a daisy taking its first breath. But you also have a sweeter scent when you sleep.” Still holding me close, Jakol leans down and inhales against my hair, ruffling it. “That’s when I’m reminded of home, of playing in meadows as a boy and swimming in clear lakes. You take me back to that place.”
― Lyonne Riley, Prince of Beasts

“I can’t survive without him, and if he’s going to get through this—like he must—the only thing that will give him enough hope to keep going is her.”
― Lyonne Riley, Keeping the Human's Heart

“Show her you can be better than what brought you here.”
― Lyonne Riley, Bred by the Wolfman

“Han’zir?” Esme whispers, her body fully relaxed, her eyes barely open. “Drazak?” “Hmm?” Drazak murmurs. “Yes, puppy?” I ask. “Thank you.” She covers our arms with her tiny hands and squeezes them. “I am home.”
― Lyonne Riley, Keeping the Human's Heart

“I never realized how much I wanted someone to see me until this moment, now that she does.”
― Lyonne Riley, Charming the Troll's Heart

“I will marry you. But I will never, ever forget that you compelled me. You will never derive the pleasure you had hoped for from me. You will regret this.”
― Lyonne Riley, Prince of Beasts

“That smile is like a warm fire on a cold winter night. There’s a candymaker in Kalishagg who produces caramel-covered apples, and her smile reminds me of biting into one, the hot-and-cold sweetness filling my mouth.”
― Lyonne Riley, Healing the Orc's Heart

“to be squeezed and clenched by her, to look upon her small face and to smother her in my affection—it is unparalleled.”
― Lyonne Riley, Keeping the Human's Heart

“I can tell then, by the look in his eyes, that he is a husk without a will to fight, a shell of himself without Esme here to be his heart, too.”
― Lyonne Riley, Keeping the Human's Heart

“It feels like he is trying to tell me something with those eyes, but I don’t know how to hear his voice in them yet.”
― Lyonne Riley, Prince of Beasts

“Sensually, you taste good.”
― Lyonne Riley, Programmed for Love

“It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, she says, leaning her forehead against mine. Her hands turn soft as she strokes one tusk. It matters who you are inside, and I know that troll.”
― Lyonne Riley, Charming the Troll's Heart

“get my good arm underneath her head and then pull her closer. Maybe my injuries have worsened a little thanks to this escapade, but it was absolutely worth it. I bury my face in her hair, and suddenly I feel immense relief. Finally, she’s right in the place she’s supposed to be.”
― Lyonne Riley, Healing the Orc's Heart

“And I, as their queen, stand in the front with my sword at the ready. I will be the first to defend my people, and I will do it to the death.”
― Lyonne Riley, Prince of Beasts

“This is probably a fool’s errand that’ll get us killed, but the alternative is to always wonder what became of Esme, to live the rest of our lives missing an important piece of ourselves. When she dies, we’ll go with her.”
― Lyonne Riley, Keeping the Human's Heart

“I find humans incredibly fascinating,” he says, and his eyes never stray from mine. “Your brain is marvelous. Dreams are a great example: it is processing information obtained during your waking hours through subliminal means.” Sometimes it’s not so subliminal. “I guess humans are okay,” I say. “But what makes us special can also make us do terrible things, too.” At this, D nods solemnly. “That is a trait uniquely human.”
― Lyonne Riley, Programmed for Love

“know how to make a woman gush, and I’m going to make sure Rimi does as many times as I can.”
― Lyonne Riley, Charming the Troll's Heart

“Two of them. That is why Han’zir never felt the mate bond with me before—we were always waiting for her, our Esme. She was meant for us as much as we were meant for her. And now we are complete.”
― Lyonne Riley, Keeping the Human's Heart

“Though I really don’t love the sound of the name I chose—it was a panic decision.”
― Lyonne Riley, Bred by the Wolfman

“I’m not entirely sure how to proceed. I know that humans have... customs, around these kinds of things. But I was not programmed with protocols for precisely how to navigate them.”
― Lyonne Riley, Programmed for Love

“Ribbed for your pleasure,”
― Lyonne Riley, Programmed for Love

“Is this a butt plug?”
― Lyonne Riley, Programmed for Love

“You’re my purpose, Rimi. My everything. My mate. And I’ll do whatever I have to do to give you the life you deserve with me.”
― Lyonne Riley, Charming the Troll's Heart

“If I can really have it all, then perhaps I have found where I’m meant to be.”
― Lyonne Riley, Five Gifts for the Blacksmith's Wife

“There we go,” Agkar says and sighs deeply. He wraps his arms around me, then pulls me in so my face is leaned against his collar. “Your orc isn’t here, but I am. So just quiet down. I need my sleep.” Is he trying to comfort me?”
― Lyonne Riley, Healing the Orc's Heart

“I know exactly what she wants, my Nera: A careful, patient, considerate lover, who will draw all that generosity and kindness lying inside her heart up to the surface and hold it tight. Just for now, I will be that lover for her—the kind she deserves.”
― Lyonne Riley, Healing the Orc's Heart

“My point is that I need you,” he says, tone pleading. “Please, Your Majesty—be my wife. Join me in matrimony, share my life with me, and your people will never fear or want for anything again.”
― Lyonne Riley, Prince of Beasts

“And Han’zir. My troll, out of everyone, has only ever seen me as an animal to do his bidding and warm his bed. All those pats on the head... remembering it makes me seethe in a place I’ve never felt before.”
― Lyonne Riley, Keeping the Human's Heart