Quotes from Born of Hatred

“So, yeah, I’m afraid of this thing. But that just means I’m going to try harder to beat it. Because fear should never be a reason for not doing the right thing.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“I’m an enigma wrapped inside a riddle, all bundled in something quite wonderful.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“Sir, I’m sorry about what happened back there.” He spoke with the displeasure of a man who’d thought of himself as the top rung on a very short ladder and then discovered that the ladder was only half made.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“I straddled the black 2009 Suzuki Hayabusa and placed the key in the ignition. “You drive, I’ll follow,” I said and pulled a black full-face motorcycle helmet on. The skull motif on the front ensured most drivers gave me a wide berth on the roads. No one wanted a skeletal face riding behind them.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“Olivia forced a smile. “You really are not what I’d expected.” “I’m an enigma wrapped inside a riddle, all bundled in something quite wonderful.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“Distrust is hard to overcome when it’s ingrained.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“You have twenty seconds to enter the code before all the doors and windows lock and gas is pumped into the building. It’ll knock out a rhino in about half a minute.” “Bloody hell, Nate.” When you’ve made as many enemies as I’ve managed to over the centuries, it pays to have a little security in place. “I got it from a friend—cost me a small fortune, but it’s probably worth it. I’d rather not come home to any unpleasant surprises.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“We have one more problem,” Gordon said. I sighed; werewolf politics was making my head hurt. “Yes?” “Elijah will be most displeased to see Tommy; it will not end well I’m sure.” “Why?” I asked Tommy. He didn’t appear to be happy to have to answer the question. “I’ve not been entirely honest,” he eventually told me. “I’m not a pack member, because if I was, I would have to challenge for alpha. I’m too powerful for Matthew and I to coexist in the same pack. Pack members already come to me for help, and Matthew allows it because I have no desire to replace him.” “But…” I said. “But, there are people here, mostly the same ones who want Matthew gone, who believe that my involvement undermines the alpha. They want me to either go and never return, or fight for the leadership.” He turned to Gordon. “Neither of which is going to happen.” Gordon bowed his head slightly. “So let me get this straight,” I started. “Elijah is probably hiding the man we’re looking for, and Ellie can demand that he hand Neil over, but in exchange for this, he and his supporters will try to force Tommy to challenge for the leadership.” “In a nutshell, yes,” Matthew said. “He considers Tommy less of a threat. No offence.” “None taken,” Tommy said. He downed the rest of his beer and stood. “Well, let’s get this over with.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“Hello, Nathan,” Peter’s voice, his actual voice, was deep and wispy, the sort of voice you’d imagine a snake would have. “I figured you might call at some point,” I said. “You want to brag about something really impressive? Killed a few more defenseless werewolves or something?”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“He laughed again, a humorless, evil noise that would have made fingernails on a chalkboard sound like a symphony of elegant beauty.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“Is there anything we need to know about Elijah?” I asked. “Don’t threaten him,” Tommy said. “He’ll see it as a sign of weakness and refuse to help. He responds to sickly sweet compliments, money, and power. The man would spend all day in wolf form licking his own cock if he could do it unnoticed.” “Maybe he just needs some time alone,” I joked.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“The room we entered housed a large TV, a pool table, and a few other games for the inmates to enjoy, including a collapsible table tennis set that had been folded in half with someone still inside it, crushing the man to death. Three massive couches had been upturned and thrown to the sides, exposing a large, empty section of floor. A lone arm, torn off from the shoulder, sat in the very center in a pool of blood. At the far end of the room, the TV had been torn from the wall and tossed aside. In its place was a body. Or at least the remains of one. Two pool cue ends protruded out of his chest, and blood had sprayed from his torso where his arms should have been, drenching the wall in red on either side of him. Identification would be difficult since the victim’s head was missing. “What the fuck happened here?” I asked, not sure if I wanted to know. Olivia turned away from talking to one of her agents. “The best Doctor Grayson can determine is that Neil was nailed to the wall by those pool cues after having his arms and his head ripped off and thrown into the nearest bin.” “That’s Neil Hatchell?” Olivia nodded.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“I’m surrounded by uncouth ruffians.” “And apparently you live in the nineteenth century,” I said. “I’m going to break into his house before you call me a ragamuffin or something equally hurtful.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“I wondered how he and his ego could occupy the same point in space and time without creating a black hole of arrogance.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“Tommy,” Elijah said. “You can call me Thomas, or Mister Carpenter,” Tommy said. “My apologies, I assumed you had people call you Tommy.” “My friends do, yes,” he said. If Elijah had been a bird, he would have ruffled his feathers in annoyance,”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“And you?” he asked me. About a million fake names flashed through my mind, as did a few dozen ways in which I could tell him to fuck off.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“That includes Randal’s wolf or beast forms. But it doesn’t really matter, as he can still use his natural strength and speed. And I’m not in the same league as a werewolf on those terms.” “Randal is especially brutal, too,” Gordon said, offering me no help whatsoever.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“Losing shouldn’t be too hard,” I said. “He only has to hit me once with his full strength and I’m not going to want to get back up.” Matthew shook his head. “You will have to make it look good or there will be cries of a fix.” “You are trying to fix it,” I pointed out, but no one wanted to listen to logic.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“I want someone in there to make sure Randal doesn’t accidentally kill me.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“There will be no deaths in this fight,” he stared at Randal as he spoke. “Anyone breaking that rule will find his own life forfeit. However, if either combatant cheats, his opponent may deal whatever retribution he sees fit.” I saw Randal’s face pale; he wasn’t happy about that.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“Sorcerers have a tendency to think only in terms of magic and how it can be applied in life; it makes some of us appear cold towards others.” “Especially werewolves.” “Oh, not just werewolves, all weres, vampires, trolls—basically anything that isn’t a sorcerer. We’re not picky; we’re just better than everyone else.” I grinned, ensuring that Ellie knew I was only teasing. Ellie laughed. “Humble, too.” “Yeah, sorcerers are basically perfect.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“I used the bike’s lights on the journey to Vicki’s, not wanting to try and outrun any police or explain why I was riding in complete darkness. I doubt they’d accept the “I can use magic to see in the dark” excuse all that easily.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“What do you want?” I asked. “Are you looking for absolution? Forgiveness? Because I’m not a priest. And if I was, I’m pretty certain I’d still tell you to go fuck yourself.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“You’re right, I’m a killer. I’ve killed thousands, and very few of them have ever stained my conscience. I can go to a dark place and do whatever I need to. But for those I care about, those I love, I will move fucking mountains to keep them safe. And I care about Tommy and Kasey, whether you grant permission or not.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“You’ve been scared before,” Tommy said. “That’s true. But mostly, I’m scared for others. Scared I won’t get somewhere in time, or not be able to get everyone out of a situation in one piece. I’m frightened of failing other people. But with a lich, I’m scared for myself, too. I already know that if I go up against it, I’m going to fail.” “But you’re still going to try and stop it, right?” I turned to find Kasey standing in the doorway. “I mean, you’re going to fight,” she said. “Yeah,” I said with a gentle nod. “I’m going to fight. I have to. I can’t let fear stop me from doing what I know is right. And I won’t let anything keep me from stopping more people getting hurt.” “But if you’re afraid, why don’t we all just run and hide?” “Because if we do that, we’re leaving something evil to have its way with whatever it wants. And I won’t let that happen. And I know your mum and dad won’t either. I fight because if I don’t, I’m not the man I thought I was. So, yeah, I’m afraid of this thing. But that just means I’m going to try harder to beat it. Because fear should never be a reason for not doing the right thing.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“We don’t seem to have any pins for the bandage. It’s not much use without one.” I turned back to the glass. “Can we get a pin in here?” “Turns out Hellequin’s a pussy,” Elijah sneered. “No pins?” I said to the mirror. “That’s okay, I’ve got one.” I grabbed a six-inch but incredibly thin blade from the tray and plunged it through the bandaged knee. “There we go. We can use that.” Elijah commenced screaming once more. I grabbed the hilt of the blade and pushed it further until the blade came out of the opposite side of the leg, cracking the bone as it moved. “Still think I’m a pussy?” I whispered.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“Her name was Jane,” I said, and Olivia stopped walking. “We were together for two years, married after a few months. I was happy, genuinely happy. Even though she was human, and I knew I’d outlive her, I just wanted to enjoy the time that we had together. “It all ended on a damp November morning in seventeen eighty-two. I’d been away working for Avalon for a few months and had been eager to get home. I found her inside the house we’d shared. She’d been butchered. Her blood decorated our bedroom. She was naked and appeared to have been dead for several days. My rage was…terrifying. I buried Jane with my own hands, placing her near a field that we used to love going to. And then I burnt the house to the ground.” Olivia’s shoulders sagged, but she didn’t turn and face me. “I hunted her killer for a year. I didn’t care who I hurt to get the information I needed. I was so single-minded, so determined to have vengeance. Eventually, I discovered that her murderer had been part of the king’s army, which had been going through the area. “The killer was an officer by the name of Henry. No idea what his last name was. It didn’t matter. He liked hurting women, and once he’d finished with them, he kept their hair as a souvenir. The rest of his squad had waited outside while he brutalized and murdered the woman I loved. No one had helped Jane, and no one had tried to stop him. “I discovered that they’d been on training maneuvers the day of the murder, just their squad of thirty. And after all my searching, I found them and I killed them. They died in one night of blood and rage. All but one. I left Henry until last. I took him away to a secluded place and had my fill of vengeance. It took a week for him to die, and when he finally succumbed, I buried Hellequin with him.” The memory of Henry’s blind and bloody form flashed in my mind—his pleas had long since silenced because I’d removed his tongue. I hadn’t wanted information from him; I’d just wanted to make him suffer. Before he’d lost his ability to talk, he’d told me that someone had paid him to do it, but he never said who. No matter what I did to him, he took that secret to his grave. And after a few years of searching, I decided he’d been lying. Trying to prolong his life for a short time more, hoping for mercy where there was none to give. “I no longer had the desire to go by that name,” I continued, still talking to Olivia’s back, “I no longer wanted to instill fear with a word. I hoped that the legend would die, but it didn’t, it grew, became more…fanciful. “You’re right, I’m a killer. I’ve killed thousands, and very few of them have ever stained my conscience. I can go to a dark place and do whatever I need to. But for those I care about, those I love, I will move fucking mountains to keep them safe. And I care about Tommy and Kasey, whether you grant permission or not.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

“You’re upset.” Olivia shoved me. “Upset? You’re the fucking Bogeyman. My mum used to tell me that if I misbehaved the Hellequin would come for me.” I wasn’t really sure how to respond to that.”
― Steve McHugh, quote from Born of Hatred

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