Resenting the Hero Quotes

“Sometimes I was so funny I couldn’t stand myself.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“Hard to see the evil of a system that's treated you well all your life. Harder still to stand up to it, once you have seen it.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“In time I could move, though my body wasn't thrilled about it. I moved from the floor to the sofa I had fallen off of, which was all the progress I was going to demand from myself right then. Karish was much more ambitious, moving from the floor by the table to the sofa. He sat beside me and without the slightest hesitation or diffidence wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, and I bonelessly complied. Pain eased, muscles loosened, and the beating of his heart helped to drive disturbing images from my mind. For the moment not giving a damn about how it looked or whether it was a bad idea, I curled around him and flattened my palm against his chest so I could feel the blood pulsing around him.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“When I found him, I was going to kill him. How dare he do this to me? What did he mean by getting himself kidnapped? He was a man, for gods’ sake. He was supposed to be able to fight off kidnappers. He was a bloody hero, talented and beautiful and an aristocrat to boot. Heroes didn’t get kidnapped. Heroes rescued kidnap victims.
Leave it to a man, and a Source, to screw up something so simple.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“What I’d always said in jest suddenly struck me as truth. Karish was something else, something other. I stared at him with wonder. “Holy hell,” I muttered.
He was looking at me warily. “Don’t you start, Lee,” he said, almost pleading. “I mean it. Really.”
All right. I could keep my mouth shut. Adoration wasn’t my style, anyway.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“He is something, isn’t he?”
“You’re kidding. He’s half-dead and he’s flirting?”
“He’s got a killer smile.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“My eyebrows couldn’t go any higher, so there was no way I could express the increase in my surprise.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“But did he seem like a slavering lunatic to you?”
“No.” I hated honesty.
“Because he isn’t. He’s just trying to make change.”
“From Middle Reach?”
Lee, dear, would you like some sauce to go with your foot?
But no one seemed offended.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“He was an ignorant mushroom”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“Go to sleep. You look awful.” I stood.
“Leaving so soon?”
“I was told not to tire you out.” I looked at him. I would have wagered he couldn’t lift his head if he had to.
He could have died.
“I’m glad you’re going to be all right.” Weak words, insufficient for the relief I felt, but I’d never claimed to be any kind of poet.
He smirked. “Glad enough to get me some chocolate?”
I raised an eyebrow at him. No, not glad enough to fetch and carry for him. “I bet the bureaucrat out there would do that for you.”
Was that panic that flared in his eyes? “Amanda is out there?”
It amused me that he knew exactly who I’d been referring to. Assuming that was her name. “Want me to send her in?”
“Not if you hold the slightest affection for me in that cold, hard heart of yours.”
“Now that’ll take some serious self-examination,” I said, opening the door.
“What, no good-bye kiss?” he protested.
“Don’t tempt me, Stallion.” And because I was tired and light-headed with relief, I blew one at him before I left.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“Have you eaten?” he asked.
“Is the food any good here?” I’d heard some gruesome stories about food in public places.
“It’s all dead,” he told me. “Which gives it points over the academy.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“He was miffed because he hadn’t been the center of all my attention the night before. Pathetic. It would be enough to make me laugh, except he was also accusing me of dereliction of duty. I couldn’t let my own Source believe I wouldn’t do my duty. It would be difficult for him to do his job if he thought I wouldn’t be doing mine. Plus it was irritating.
I drained the last of my coffee.
Karish looked horrified. “Zaire, woman, how can you gulp it down like that when it’s still hot?”
Because I was a Shield. I gestured at the waiter. “You’re left-handed,” I said as my mug was filled. “But you use your right when you eat. You drank three mugs of ale and ate two bowls of the stew. You enjoyed it very much, even though you don’t like turnip.”
“Actually,” he interrupted me curtly, “I’m allergic to turnip.”
I almost smiled. Was he trying to shake my confidence? Amateur. “If you were allergic to turnip you wouldn’t have touched the stew at all.” Wouldn’t want hives defiling that perfect skin. “You eat your bread like a woman—”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“You tear it off in chunks instead of biting into the whole slice. And you slather all sides with butter. That’s disgusting, by the way.” Butter was not icing and shouldn’t be treated as such. “You sat straight in your chair, as you are now, without touching the back, despite certain fatigue. I would guess you spent some of your formative years with a wooden rod up your spine.” He leaned back in his chair, then, crossing his arms. “But for much of the evening you had your right foot wrapped around one leg of your chair. Your mother wouldn’t approve.” Another slow sip of glorious coffee.
He looked at me, frowning. And then the frown turned into a smile that I didn’t trust at all.
“You’re staring,” I pointed out tartly.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“Please, Karish, all this temptation before you.” I nodded at all the pretty people around us. “Something’s going to burst.”
He smiled. No, leered. “You offering to do something about it?”
I reached back for one of the dishes on the table and found a wicked-looking knife. I raised it and cocked a suggestive brow.
He paled. “You’re a sick, sick woman.”
“Still think you’re going to like me?”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“His ascent wasn’t as quick or as graceful as mine, but we got him on the ground, where he stretched out on his back to catch his breath. His face was too pale.
“You need to get some exercise, Taro,” I told him, and I grinned into the force of his lethal glare. “All that lazing about you’ve been doing lately. You’ve got to change that wastrel lifestyle.”
“Now, Lee, you know if I showed the slightest trace of industry you would be left with nothing to do. Could I do that to you?” He gasped as he sat up.
I helped him to his feet, hoping he didn’t need it. “Are you all right?”
“Are you kidding? I’m free. I feel great.”
He didn’t sound as though he were being sarcastic. Good enough”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“So what boon would you ask of the Crown?” she asked.
That had come out of nowhere.
Karish seemed equally surprised. “Your Majesty?”
The Empress held out a hand to one of her ladies-in-waiting. A goblet was filled with wine and placed in her fingers. “A good ruler knows when to reward her subjects,” she drawled, r’s a-rollin’. “And when to punish them.” She took a long sip from her goblet, her eyes never leaving Karish. “This time, I choose to give a reward.”
But watch yourself, because next time I might choose to cut your heart out with a spoon.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“But are you really going to just swan off without getting permission from the Triple S?”
“What, send off a message and wait for a response? That could take weeks.” Or months. And chances were excellent permission would be denied.
“It’s the proper thing to do.”
“Aye, but is it the sensible thing to do?”
He rolled his eyes. “Must you have an answer to everything?”
“I’d hardly be the all-knowing omnipotent being that I am if I didn’t.”
I didn’t know the act of holding onto one’s patience could be a visual spectacle. It was kind of interesting to watch.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“He studied me a moment longer than I liked, then he smiled. My stomach clenched. He surprised me by tapping my cheek, and I pulled away. “Poor little Lee,” he taunted. “The philosophy’s undreamed of, isn’t it?” He punctuated that bit of nonsense with a wink before he wheeled away and deserted me. I could hear him whistling as he walked.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero

“Karish. The Stallion of the Triple S. My Source. I was chained to a legend. An infamous legend. Stories of drunkenness, whoring, and general recklessness filled my head. Oh. My. God. I must have been evil in a former life.
This was it. The person I would work with the rest of my life.”
― Moira J. Moore, Resenting the Hero