Saving Penny: Imperial Knights, #1

By Ariel Marie

Billionaire CEO of the Imperial Knights security empire, Drake Ransley spends his days in full control of every element of his life. By night, he's a man plagued by a mysterious dream about a brown coin. As time passes, the frequency of the dream increases and the penny morphs into a beautiful woman that Drake can't stop thinking about.

Penny Berkey has just discovered that she has won the largest payout in lottery history, but it might not be enough to keep her away from danger. The promise of a major payout awaits. Danger lurks in the shadows. A stalker looms at every turn. Unable to elicit help from the police, she turns to the best security team money can buy – the Imperial Knights.

Drake knows the moment he lays eyes on her that she's the woman from his dreams. His wolf instantly recognizes her as his mate. With danger lurking at every corner for her, he's all the more determined to keep her safe by any means necessary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: RNB Publishing
• Release date: Apr 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393185550

Book preview

Chapter 1

Drake’s eyes flew open as his body sprung into a sitting position on his bed. He looked around his dark bedroom and cursed.

That same damn dream.

He fell back against his plush pillows, staring at the ceiling, while breathing deep to try and catch his breath. His chest was slick with a thin film of sweat.

What the hell did it mean?

He’d had the dream for close to thirty years now, and suddenly, it was coming more frequently. It focused on him chasing after a penny, as if he was afraid of losing it. Some nights he was protecting it. Other nights, he possessed it and kept it locked away in a safe that was hidden in his home.

He was confused why his unconscious mind would be obsessed with a coin. He was worth a billion dollars, thanks to the family business that he ran with his two brothers. Business had been booming over the years, and between the three of them, they were worth a few billion dollars each.

So why a fucking penny?

Was his brain trying to tell him to save his money? Even if he went on crazy spending sprees or outlandish vacations, he would never be able to spend the fortune he had accumulated over the years. Because of the dream, he’d made sure that he and his brothers made smart investments in their business and with their money.

The sound of a phone ringing filled the air. Reaching over to his nightstand to grab his cell phone, saw his secretary, Cynthia Potts’ name flash across the glass screen.

Cynthia, what time is it? he growled into the phone. From the absence of light coming through the windows, he knew it was still dark outside. He wasn’t sure if it was officially the early hours of the morning or the middle of the night.

Don’t growl at me, young man, Cynthia’s chipper voice greeted him. You pay me good money to deal with you. It’s time to get up. You have a ton of meetings today, and one of them is with the Secretary of State.

He ran a hand across his face. Every night he had the dream, he always woke up feeling like shit and drained of energy. He threw his blankets off and swung his feet around to the floor.

You still didn’t answer my question, he stated. He knew that his secretary was tough as nails and took no shit, which was why they got along so well. Anyone who worked for him could not be a pussy. Cynthia had been with him for twenty years, and she could hang with the toughest of men. Most of the office personnel tiptoed around her for fear of her wrath.

Don’t start with me, Drake. Just know it’s time for you to get up. Go for your run and get your ass to the office. A click followed, signaling her disconnecting the call.

He chuckled to himself as he stood and walked over to his closet. She was the only person in the world that would be able to get away with talking to him like that. Good secretaries were hard to find, especially those who could keep secrets, such as her knowing that her boss was a fierce wolf shifter.

He quickly threw on his running clothes and made his way out of the house. The orange hues of the sun’s rays were off in the distance, signaling the sun would be up soon. He loved the warmth of the sun beating down on his shoulders when working out, but seeing how he had a full schedule today, he needed to get his run in now.

Drake and his two brothers, Doru and Cyran, started the Imperial Knights, a private security firm. It was one of the largest security firms in the world who worked with government, commercial clients, law enforcement agencies, and private paying customers who could afford their fees. It was an exclusive company whose name was kept from the public eye. Not many had heard of the organization and that’s how Drake liked it. That was the appeal for potential clients.

Drake breathed in deeply as he ran through his quiet neighborhood, his long legs eating up the distance as he turned the corner. He would only do a few miles this morning to ensure that he was on time for his first meeting. He had to admit, even he wasn’t crazy enough to be late for a meeting that Cynthia set up.

As a shifter, he had led a long life and would continue to do so. He and his brothers had fought in many wars in their lifetime, and had seen so much death and destruction in the name of evil, from humans and supernaturals. When they started Imperial Knights, it was with the purpose of no longer fighting wars, but protecting humanity from the destruction of evil.

Once word got out that three shifters were starting such an organization, many other supernaturals came out of the woodwork to work with them. They employed over ten thousand employees, with most being of the supernatural world. Those humans that did work for them were tied into their world somehow, and vowed to never tell their secret.

Supernaturals had lived alongside man since the beginning of time, with mankind either ignoring the signs of their existence and turning a blind eye, or being truly ignorant to the fact that others existed.

He looked up at the sky and took note of the position of the sun. It was on its way up. He released a curse as he picked up speed on the tree-lined road. He hadn’t realized that he had deviated away from his normal path. Somehow, he had ended up in the metro park near his home. He wouldn’t dare use his wolf’s speed to get home. A human was bound to be in the park and would see him, so he kept his speed at a normal human sprint and sent a prayer up that he wouldn’t be late to the office. There was nothing like an angry secretary first thing on a Monday morning.

Penny Berkey sat back in the leather chair as she listened to her boss go over the past quarter in their staff meeting. She looked around the conference room and her chest filled with pride. She was the youngest medical device sales representative for Med-Well Corporation. Med-Well was one of the largest firms in the country, that focused on medical sales. They provided top-notch medical technology to the healthcare field.

Her job was an extremely stressful one that required lots of travel, long hours, and she could even work from home if she chose. She could easily clock in seventy hours a week. Most didn’t last long in the position due to the challenges.

But she loved it.

She thrived off the challenges of her job and she was good at it.

The best.

Let’s get to this quarter’s numbers, her boss, Steven Ware, announced, breaking through her thoughts. Penny sat up at the announcement and turned her attention to the television screen on the wall.

I wonder who got salesperson of the quarter, Mario muttered. Her eyes flew to her coworker and found a teasing glint in his eyes. She gave him the finger and chuckled. They had always had a friendly competition between them. Mario Hooper had been the star sales rep before Penny. She had bust her butt to get to where she was, but no matter how good she was, Mario was always right behind her.

Now, now, children. Steven waved his hands as people in the room chuckled. Everyone knew how competitive Mario and Penny were. Steven clicked the small remote in his hand to move to the next slide on the screen.

Penny turned back to the screen to see the numbers and found her name to be in first place, with Mario in second. The room broke into light laughter as Mario playfully threw his hands in the air. Penny smiled, satisfied that she was the salesperson of the quarter again, for the third time in a row. Five years with the company and she was now making a name for herself.

She knew that if her parents were alive today, they would be extremely proud of her. Ten years ago, they were killed in a boating accident. They had been on vacation in Key West when their boat capsized, killing everyone. Ethan and Lucinda Berkey had only one child, Penny.

So, with a heavy heart, and at the young age of nineteen, Penny buried her parents with the promise to make it in life. She refused to let their deaths keep her from living a full and happy life. She knew that they would have wanted her to move on and not wallow away in grief. Her parents had been good, blue-collar people, and their life insurance had been enough to put her through college.

Meeting dismissed, Steven announced. Chatter filled the room as everyone stood. A few people came over and patted her on her back as she stood from her chair, wishing her a job well done.

Good job, Penny, Mario said, coming over to her with his hand out, as people began filing out of the conference room.

Thanks, Mario. Penny took his hand in a firm grip. Mario, ten years her senior, had taken her under his wing when she had first started. He was a great teacher, and she was able to grow on her own