"Remember, you have to be back in three days. I don't want you going through that first shift alone!" Karano said while she watched Hazel pack her suitcase.

"I know, I know. And that is the first night of the full moon. I'll be back, I promise!"

"And if this emergency takes longer than you think, then I will come to you, because believe me, you don't want your first change to be in a plane at 30,000 feet with a bunch of passengers freaking out!" Karano said in a lighthearted tone. Though really, that was the absolute truth.

Hazel shuddered at the thought. "No way. If I can't be here the day before, then you come to me, and we'll do it there."

"I will, bebita." Hazel's phone pinged, letting her know that Paul, the pack's Uber driver, was only ten minutes away, and Karano quickly pulled her wife into a hug that had Hazel melting into her.

 "Give your mom a hug like that from me, and there will be plenty more of them for you when you get back, mami. Be safe. If you see José, just avoid him, okay?"

"I will bebé. I want to stay as away from him as possible!"

Neither Hazel nor Karano had been born supernatural, so both had to be shown a lot of what the lifestyle entailed. Karano had it easy. After escaping her home life and an ex-boyfriend who was an asshole, she'd been bitten by a werewolf while in college here in Miami, and had stumbled upon one of the transient members of the South Glade pack during her first shift. He'd guided her to Wesley, who had kept her as a part of the pack ever since, and taught her all he knew.

Hazel had it a little rougher, having been turned by José who then lied to her about the nature of vampires and convinced her for a while that they were mates, even though they were not. Had other members of the Puerto Rican coven not met her and figured out what was up, she might still be dating him. Luckily, José was chased off, and Hazel was single until she met Karano and her lovely moon.

"Let me know when you land, okay?"

"I will. Are you going to be okay all alone?" Hazel knew she'd be busy with her mom, so she was afraid that Karano might be lonely without her around.

"I'll get by. I have a couple of tours today, and another tomorrow. Odds are that Eliza and Jack will keep me entertained too."

"No going after snakes without me!"

Karano leaned in, giving Hazel a soft kiss. "Of course not. I can't clean that blood up all by myself!"

"I mean, you could, but where is the fun in that, right?" Hazel asked in a husky whisper that promised a night of passion if she stayed.

"No starting that bebita! You'll miss your flight!" Karano growled, already getting excited at the thought of what she'd like to do to her wife if she had a few more minutes.

"Are you sure papi? I bet you could get me off before the driver gets here." Hazel started unbuttoning her shorts, making Hazel growl with desire.

"Mami, you know I can't say no to you!" In a flash, Karano spun Hazel around, pulling down her shorts and panties and bending her over the bed next to her suitcase. "Is this what you wanted bebita?" she let her fingers glide up the back of Hazel's thighs and gently graze the soft lips that were already wet in anticipation.

"Si, papi! Take me! Give me something to remember you!" she whispered desperately while looking over her shoulder at her wife.

Karano leaned down, nipping at her ear. "That's it. Tell me more, bebita." She slipped two fingers deep within Hazel's core, feeling the walls squeezing her as she pumped over and over. "Is that what you needed?"

"More, papi! Harder!" Hazel let out a series of whimpers that brought a smile to Karano's face, and she picked up the pace, pumping her fingers into her wife while biting her gently on the back of the shoulder with an animalistic snarl. "Oh yes! Fuck!"

Hazel's phone dinged again, this time with the notification that the driver was here, and Hazel's eyes rolled back as Karano's hand moved even faster while she ground her own core onto Hazel's hip. "Cum for me, mami. Let that poor driver hear you so he knows why you're late. You'll smell me all over yourself while you're gone."

Hazel lost herself at that, and her body shuddered around Karano's fingers. "Oh fuck! Papi, yes! Oh, fuck!" She turned her head, and Karano leaned in, kissing her as she came for her and then smiled when she was finally relaxed. "I knew you could get me there, papi! I love you so much."

"I love you, bebita. Travel safe." Karano helped her exhausted wife up, pulling up her panties and shorts, and buttoning her up so her trembling fingers didn't have to. "Hurry home, mi amor."

"I will, mi diosa," Hazel whispered against her lips. They had one more quick hug, and then she was hurrying to the impatient driver, who at least had the decency to wait until after her orgasm to honk.

When the car was out of sight, Karano sat back on the bed, missing her wife already. In their time together, a whirlwind romance that ended up with them married a mere three months after the mooning incident, they had only been apart for one weekend. It was a trip much like this, and Karano had missed Hazel terribly the entire time. Hopefully this trip would be smooth sailing, and she would be back in a few days so they could be ready for Hazel's first shift.

With a sigh, she got up and went outside to the dock to check over their airboat. She'd run trips without Hazel before, but it wasn't as fun. Honestly, Hazel always helped get them good tips, because having a gorgeous woman in a bikini on the boat tends to make men free up their wallets. Who knew?

"Are you going on the boat?" Eliza asked after she silently padded up to the dock.

Karano looked over at her with a smile. "I'm going to, in a little bit. I have a group to take on a tour."

"But Hazel isn't here! It might be dangerous!" she pointed out. "Maybe you should bring someone else. Just in case." She was looking at the ground, and it wasn't hard to figure out what she was angling for.

"Hmm. Do you think you could help me find someone? They'd have to be brave enough to go into the swamp with me." Karano sat cross legged on the dock in front of her. "What about Jerry?"

"No!" she yelped. "He works in the store. He can't go."

"Ahh. Right. Hmm. Maybe Wesley?"

Eliza shook her head rapidly. "No way, I heard him sneeze. He might scare away the gators!"

"Oh, good point. We can't have that. The customers need to see the gators, and we have to have some for them to see. What about Jack? Is he brave enough?"

She cocked her head at her with a pout. "That isn't funny! He's way too little!"

"And I guess your mom has to watch him, so she can't go either, right?"

"Right!"

Karano could have run though every name in the pack, but she decided to put the little girl out of her misery. "Do you think you would want to go? It might be boring, but it would be nice to have some company."

"I could do it!" she promised quickly. "I'm brave! I bet my mom would let me go with you if you asked her!"

Yeah, that was a given. There was no way Karano would take her out on the boat unless she had permission! But she did have life vests and all the straps on the seats would keep her younger partner secure, so she would be in good hands right in front of her. "Do you think you could fight a gator with me?"

She nodded quickly, then pulled a little silver bladed knife in a sheath from behind her back. "I could stick him with this!"

Karano's eyes widened as she saw it. "Wow! Can I see that?" she held her hand out, and Eliza gently placed it in the palm of her hand. The silver blade was warm on her skin, and she quickly grabbed the leather wrapped hilt. "Does your mom know you have this?"

She nodded again, this time slowly. "She gave it to me. When the bad man hurt daddy, she told me that if he came back and tried to hurt me, to use this because my wolf wasn't big yet."

Karano dropped her head in sorrow, wishing she could meet the man that tore this little family up. That a mother had to give her tiny kid a silver knife just to protect herself was terrifying, and it made her very glad that they were so isolated from some of the more traditional packs. She knew Wesley had been kicked out of his tribe when he was a teen, and some of the other migrant wolves had been treated similarly. Would she have been kicked out for having a female vampire as a mate? She didn't want to think about it, but she had a feeling that she would have. Karano would never turn her back on her mate though. Not over some stupid rule like that. Mates were chosen by the Moon Goddess, and those choices shouldn't be abandoned lightly.

Karano slipped the knife back into its sheath, and then handed it back. "You keep that safe, alright? Your mom knows that you're brave enough to use it. Let's go talk to her, and see if you can be my helper for a few days, okay?"

"Yeah! Let's go!" She held her hand out and was soon tugging Karano towards her mom's cabin. The respect that the woman had for Maria had always been high, but knowing more now, she was in awe of her strength. Anything that she could do for that little family, she would, even if it was as simple as a boat ride.