Free Batty for You by Zenina Masters

Chapter One
     
     
    Bethany Leyhey sat at the table in the tiny diner and prodded at her pie with a fork.
    “Bad night, Bets?”
    She propped her chin on her hand and glared at the ridiculously handsome elf she had known for a decade. “You could say that. It was a disastrous mixer at the cavern tonight. Everyone left with a date but me. My date disappeared halfway through the night and reappeared on the arm of a squirrel with a fluffy tail, even in human form.”
    Dromer sighed. “You are best rid of him. Do you want some coffee or something stronger?”
    She looked around and confirmed they were alone. “I want a mate, Dromer. I want someone to romp with and laugh with and wake up with. I want to be able to wander the house and shift at will, I want…love, I guess.”
    Dromer watched her sadly for a moment. “Let me get you that coffee.”
    He got to his feet and crossed the diner. She sat and poked the pie once again. The apples were fine, but they were grown on land with insufficient nutrients in the soil. Her palate was attuned to fruit no matter which form she wore. Dromer was on his way back to her with a carafe when a small pack of young male wolves came in.
    Dromer tensed but he filled Bets’ coffee cup before calling out, “Can I start you off with anything?”
    “How about a hand job, fairy?” One of the young males called out.
    The other four young men chortled.
    Bets perked up and glared at the men who had the look of first-year university buttheads.
    Dromer was surprisingly calm. “You aren’t my type, junior.” He went to the counter and grabbed a handful of menus.
    He leered at one of the other men, a curly-haired blonde who wouldn’t meet his gaze. “You, on the other hand, have my complete attention.”
    To Bets’ shock, the men wolfed out in the middle of the public space. Sure, it was an elf-run diner in the middle of nowhere, but there was a matter of decorum at stake.
    Dromer tsked. “Does your alpha know you wolf out in public?”
    The five wolves circled him and Bets got to her feet. This had the look of a planned attack, even with the t-shirts and jeans stuck on the bodies.
    Bets put her coffee aside and prepared herself with an internal shift. “Call out if you need help, Dromer.”
    “Will do, Bets.”
    He flicked his fingers at the menus, and they floated back to his hand. “If you don’t want to order, get out.”
    The wolves growled, and their leader moved forward and snapped at Dromer.
    The door opened and the wolf was unceremoniously levitated outside.
    The others smartened up and attacked at the same time. Dromer got three of them under control, but the fourth—the cute one—bit his ankle. “Bets!”
    She stood, inhaled and sent a sonic blast toward the wolves. They all yelped and cringed back. The one on Dromer’s ankle tucked his tail between his legs and backed away.
    Bets continued her silent sonic attack, and she drove them back through the door, flipping the lock behind them.
    She sighed and stopped the signal bequeathed to her by her grandmother and her Egyptian fruit bat ancestry. “That was a close one.”
    Dromer hissed and tugged up his jeans. “How are you at first aide?”
    She took a look at his wound and winced. “Pretty good. Give me a minute.”
    Bets picked up a pair of jeans from the floor of the diner. “As I thought. A nice pair of jeans with a phone in them. I believe I am going to make a quick call.”
    A quick thumb through the contacts and she found a home number. When someone answered and said, “Jerry?”she answered.
    Bets examined her nails. “No, this isn’t Jerry. I would like the number of his alpha, please.”
    There was the sound of someone running their hand over their face in exhaustion. “This is his alpha, I am also his brother. What did he do?”
    “He and four friends were involved in an attack on the proprietor of the Night Star Diner. I have his pants and clothing from a few of his friends as well as their truck keys.