Forgiveness and Punishment

54

"I thought things had changed, Melissa, but he still hates me after all. He just did a really good job of hiding it the night before my change." Karen says as they sit in the late spring sun in the garden. They watch Timothy, Travis, TJ and Tad messing around and play wrestling.

Any time Travis looks at Melissa he turns so he doesn't have to see Karen at Melissa's side. "I should go in. He won't come near you if I am here." She doesn't want to be the reason Travis won't come see Melissa or their son. "It was a mistake to turn me, the other vampires see how he treats me again and they treat me accordingly. I can't take it." Karen wipes the tears from her face and gets up to head inside. "Thank you for trying Melissa. I know that you have forgiven me, but he never will and I can't stay here like this."

"You don't have a choice, Karen. You are still a newborn and have yet to get your blood lust under control." Karen is mostly a sucker with a few tendencies as a sensualist, but not enough to make it possible for her to easily control her blood lust. She didn't pick up any of Melissa's psychic abilities at all. Timothy interrogated her when she woke up. Which Karen is secretly thankful for. That's the last thing she needs, she'd have the whole vampire world gunning for her if she did.

Timothy, picks up Ovilla and swings her around as she screams in delight. Karen makes her escape as she sees the others coming up to Melissa and the children as well.

"Karen, wait." Karen stiffens as she feels the hand on her arm. She curses herself for not leaving earlier. She fights the tears that want to fall. He's been avoiding her since she woke up two weeks ago and he wants to talk now?

"Why?" Karen manages to say but loses the fight with her tears.

"Shit." She hears Travis say under his breath. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you like this. It's my fault that you no longer feel at home here and I am again sorry for that."

Karen shrugs, making Travis's hand fall from her arm, "You've apologized, now can I go?"

Travis steps back as if she has slapped him. "You don't have to ask for my permission, Karen, I'm not your master. I'm your equal."

With those words Karen lets out the bitterest laugh he's ever heard. "Yeah, your equal, right." She enters the mansion and heads directly to her room. She can't take his blowing hot and cold any more. He apologized today, what will he do tomorrow? The stress is making her sick, she can't even eat, although she hasn't told Melissa that. She might not be able to do any of the psychic vampire stuff, but she could do a mental shield to keep Melissa out and she wears it constantly.

Melissa allows her that with the condition that she talk honestly with her and tells her any problems with any one in the seethe or out of it and when she says any one she was specific to mention Timothy as well as her lovers. That's why she was talking to Melissa about Travis earlier.

She starts packing. Once Melissa is assured that she won't go into a blood lust she won't hesitate to leave. She's sure that Timothy will give her permission to go. He will if Melissa asks him to.

There is a knock at her door that makes her pause in her packing just for a second. "Yes?"

"Can I talk to you, Karen?" Timothy calls through the door.

"I can't stop you, sir." Melissa still doesn't trust him enough to call him by name. He terrifies her still. It doesn't matter who tries to console her, she is terrified of Timothy and nothing will change that.

She hears Timothy sigh even as he opens the door. "You know that I meant face to face."

"And like I said, I can't stop you, can I?"