Page 1 of Filthy Elites

Falling for Catastrophe

A FILTHY GODS NOVEL

Three years ago, I fell in love with a monster. I barely survived, and now I’ve been given a second chance at Maverick Prep.

My plan was to keep my head down and not draw attention to myself.

Then Jason Novak came into my life like a thunderstorm.

Furious.

Devastating.

Loud.

The devil incarnate, he has a reputation for cruelty that precedes him. Not even his angelic face can hide his black heart.

He wants something I’ve earned fair and square, and now he hates me.

My survival instincts are telling me to flee. But I’ve already let a monster take too much from me once. My name. My dreams. My home. I won’t let another asshole do that to me again.

Standing up to Jason becomes a dangerous game. There’s a fine line between love and hate, and we’re about to obliterate it.

Prologue

Nicola/Isabelle

Run,run, don’t stop, don’t look back, just run, run.The mantra keeps me going. I stumble over an exposed tree root and fall hard on my hands and knees, but I don’t even register the pain. I get up and keep running while my heart feels like it’s going to explode out of my chest.

The forest is quiet tonight; there’s no sound of animals, as if they sense evil is on the prowl, hunting me. Even the moon decided to hide behind heavy clouds, and the darkness is so thick, it envelops me completely. My labored breathing is loud in my ears. I can’t see two steps ahead of me, but I shouldn’t complain. If I can’t see shit, then he can’t see me either.

I hear the faint burble of water running over rocks, and I dare to let hope flare in my chest. I’m going in the right direction. The small stream runs parallel to the road. I just have to cross it, and then I’ll be a step closer to freedom. I’m so near now that I not only hear the stream but smell the moss that covers the stones near the bank.

Suddenly, the ground disappears from beneath my feet, and I tumble down the hill and land halfway into the stream with a loud splash. I curse my clumsiness as I try to keep the panic from rising. My pulse skyrockets, and I can’t perceive any sound besides the pounding in my ears until I hear his mocking voice calling me.

“Isabelle, Isabelle. You can run, but you can’t hide from me,cariño.”

A whimper escapes my lips, and I hate myself for being weak. His sweet tone puts more fear in my heart than if he had screamed at me in anger or called me names. I remain frozen in place for what feels like an eternity before adrenaline kicks in and I force myself to get up and keep running for my life.

ChapterOne

Nicola/Isabelle– A year later

I hugthe welcome folder tight against my body as I stare at my new school building. My heart shrivels inside my chest. Maverick Prep. Another private school filled with assholes who think they can destroy your life without repercussions. I’d go to a big public school where I could disappear in the crowd if the choice had been mine. But my parents felt I’d be safer here.

I touch the long scar across my forehead, now hidden by thick bangs. I almost didn’t survive my last school. I was a naïve freshman who let the glamor of the wealthy seduce me until it tried to kill me. That girl is gone. Three years have passed since I first met the monster who gave me the scar, but it feels like eons ago.

Things need to be different this time. My parents had to pull a lot of strings to send me to this fancy school in the oceanside town of Triton Cove. The asshole who gave me the scar is still free, probably terrorizing other innocent girls. The fear that he’s not done with me is real, hence I had to move across the Atlantic Ocean and change names.

I also had to die.

With a shaky breath, I take a step forward, and another. I can almost hear the ominous soundtrack in the background. Once I enter the automatic doors, I freeze. Panic constricts my airways. Maverick Prep is a replica of my old school. It’s not just the modern vibe, or the wide windows in the hallway that let me see inside the classrooms. It’s the people. The uniform looks too much like my old one. Same colors, navy with red accents. It didn’t dawn on me until now.

I’m going to be sick.

“What the hell are you doing? Move!”

I’m shoved aside by a burly guy with a shaved head. Jesus fucking Christ. So it begins.

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