Kiss Me Undead

Chapter Fifteen || The Party

Chapter Fifteen

The Party

When Sookie and Reine arrived at Merlotte's, Reine noticed that the parking lot was practically full. No wonder Sam needed help. She thought to herself as Sookie parked the car. "Hopefully, you won't have to stay long." Sookie told her sister. "Sam just needed some extra help today." The young woman turned off the car and got out of the vehicle, along with her sister.

"I wonder why there are so many people here today?" Reine speculated, as the two made their way inside the building. As soon as Reine stepped inside Merlotte's, a roar met her ears. "Surprise!" The people in the establishment shouted. A big smile formed on her face as she looked about the room. There were streamers decorating the place, balloons graced the ceiling, some tables were even put together to hold the food and gifts.

"Happy Birthday, Rae." Reine heard her sister say from behind her. The young woman turned to give her sister a hug. "Thank you so much! This is great!"

"Oh, I'm not the only one behind the surprise." Sookie said as she let go of her sister and made her way towards the bar. "Sam did a lot, and Jason and Gran were behind this as well."

"Where is Jason?" Reine asked as she looked around the room. As she did, her gaze landed on a man who was staring at her. He was sitting in her section of the dining area. He had dark brown hair -nearly black-, a well-defined jawline with a neatly trimmed beard, and -from where she stood- it appeared that he was quite muscular. Blush crept to her cheeks as she imagined what he would look like without his shirt. Reine was the first to look away. She attempted to give her sister her full attention. "Rae, are you listening to me?" Sook asked her sister.

"Uh... no... sorry." Reine replied. "I wasn't paying attention."

"What would you like to do first-" Sookie's words died off when the sound of a coin entering the jukebox filled the area. It took only a few seconds before the song Keep Your Hands to Yourself started to play.

"I want to dance." Reine answered as she made her way over to an empty area of the building. She started moving to the music, her hands running over her hips as she danced. As she moved to the music, she was surprised when someone joined her. A smile formed on her lips when she saw that it was her friend Evan Crawford. The teenager was tall and gangly, with freckles scattered all over his face, flaxen hair, and olive green eyes. The two went to school together and became friends not long after he moved to town. Evan was originally from Dallas, but ended up relocating to Bon Temps to get away from the large vampire population. His father was a preacher and his mother worked at the school as an English teacher.

"When did you get here?" Reine asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck and continued to move her hips to the beat.

"Not long before you did." Evan replied as he placed his hands on her hips and began dancing with her. "You look really pretty." The boy commented.

Reine beamed from the compliment, a big smile forming on her face. "Thank you, you look good too. Thanks for coming to the party."

"So, do you feel a year older?"

Rae laughed and shook her head. "No. If I'm honest, I forgot today was my birthday. There's been so much drama lately with Sookie and the vampire I haven't had much time to think about myself." Reine admitted.

"Well, I hope the drama stops. At least for today..." Evan's words died on his lips when he spotted a man coming towards them. The stranger stopped behind Reine and cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt... but I was wondering if I could have the next dance?"

Reine stopped dancing as soon as she heard the stranger's rich baritone voice. His voice was alluring and smooth as silk. Rae cleared her throat as blush crept to her cheeks. "I should-"

"Go ahead Rae." Evan interrupted his friend just as the song changed. "I'll be over by the pool table with Kate and Turner." The boy told his friend as he turned to make his way to the pool table with the rest of his friends.

Reine looked over the man that stood in front of her. He had to be a foot taller if not more. Something that lured her in was his eyes. He had the prettiest blue eyes she had ever seen. They were the color of a clear blue sky. "I'm Riven." The man held his hand out to the girl.

"Reine Stackhouse. It's nice to meet you, Riven." Rae said as she shook his hand. As soon as the two touched a spark shot out from where their skin met. Reine drew her brows together, thinking she had imagined the spark. However, less than a few seconds passed and more sparks formed from their hands. It was like someone was starting a fire. Gasping, Reine quickly let go of the man's hand. "What was that? How did you do that?"

"I didn't do that." Riven confessed. He was just as shocked as she was.

"Maybe we shouldn't dance together." Reine was careful with her response as she took a step back from the man. She didn't know what just happened, but she didn't want any part of it.

Riven nodded in response. "Right. Well... I was wondering if you'd show me around town sometime. I just moved here and I don't know anyone in town other than my friend Athen and his groupies."

"Groupies?" Rae repeated.

"It's a long story."

"Oh..." Reine nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She was never good at meeting new people. "Yeah, I can show you around town. Would tonight work? My Gran has this meeting for The Descendants of the Glorious Dead. It's basically a bunch of older people who have an interest concerning their ancestors that served during the civil war."

"Sounds interesting." Riven said with a slight smirk. "Where should I pick you up?"

"Oh... um... 3322 Grandrose Lane."

"Would around eight-thirty work?" The young man asked the teenager.

"The meeting starts at eight." Rae informed the man. "How about seven-forty? It'll give us time to get to the church."

"It's at a church?" Riven questioned with a raised brow.

"Yeah, that's not a problem is it?" Reine said as she began to sway to the song that was playing on the jukebox.

"Oh, no, no problem at all. It's just been a while since I've been to church." Riven admitted.

Reine looked the man over for a moment, taking in everything about him. The fact that he seemed to be uneasy when it came to stepping foot in a church gave off a red flag. She knew he wasn't a vampire. He was able to be out during the day. So that explanation went out the window. "You don't seem too happy that it's in a church." Reine eventually commented.

"It's not that. I haven't had the best results with religious enthusiasts in the past."

"Oh? I'm sorry to hear that." Reine paused and nervously looked down at her feet. "I promise no one will try to convert you or anything. It's just a meeting with the older folks." Before the conversation could continue, Kate Owen came bouncing over the couple. "Rae!" Kate said as she grabbed a hold of her friend's forearm. "It's time to open your presents!"

A smile formed on Reine's lips. "Alright, I'm coming." The girl told her friend."If you'll excuse me. I need to get back to my party."

"Of course. I'll see you later tonight." Riven smiled as he turned to leave. The young man left the bar. Once he was outside, he slowly disappeared as he walked through the parking lot.