Honza first saw her by the water. She walked by its edge, barefoot and bewitching, long dark hair and blue eyes. She didn’t look like she belonged at the outdoor party he was attending. There was something different about her. He couldn’t look away.

​

Before he knew it, he was walking towards her. It was an impulse, something he could barely control. She turned towards him and smiled, teeth perfect and white.

​

“Hi,” he said breathlessly.

​

“Hello.” Her voice was like a song, and he unconsciously moved closer to her. “May I have your name?”

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“Honza. Honza Svoboda.” Saying it, he began to feel drunk, or more drunk than he already was. Less in control. It wasn’t a nice feeling.

​

“Honza,” she said slowly, like she was savoring it. His breath caught in his throat and all doubts fell away. He wanted to hear her say his name forever. Her smile brightened. “Call me Su.”

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“Su. Do you- do you want to dance?” He held out her hand. She took it. It was surprisingly cold.

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Her eyes were so blue.

…

They danced together for several hours. The world blurred around them and Honza barely noticed anything else, too focused on her smile and eyes and voice and her. It wasn’t until the sky had darkened and the lights that had been strung from the trees turned on that he realized how long it had been.

​

“How about I grab you a drink?” He asked Su, panting. Had they taken a break at all? He couldn’t remember.

​

She leaned up and whispered, “I have a different idea. Why don’t we go get a private room, Honza?” He shivered. “I’ve been having so much fun.”

​

He could feel himself turning red.

 

The closest hotel was a block away, and it didn’t take long for them to reach it. He spent the walk there leaning on Su, drunk on the feel of her skin, of her voice, of her smell (like lake water, like rain, like the ocean, like life itself.)

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At the desk, Su said, “Honza, get us a room.” Suddenly, all of those giddy feelings were gone. He had a task, and he was going to do it well.

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She had flashed him a smile that gleamed when he had finished and took his hand to lead him up the stairs. The lightheaded happiness returned and he followed her like she was leading him to heaven.

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With the door closed behind them, she reached up and kissed him.

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It was only then when he realized that something was wrong. Her lips were clammy, and her teeth were jagged in ways that he didn’t remember them being. He tasted blood when his tongue cut open on one of them and he pushed her away, shaking his head in confusion. 

​

“Honza Svoboda.” He felt like his breath had been drawn from his lungs. Wheezing would have been a relief, but instead his breaths were unnaturally steady, like he was in a deep sleep. His arms fell limp to his sides. Su cradled his head in her hands and brought his eyes down to hers.

​

If he could have screamed, he would have. Her perfect teeth were suddenly like needles and her eyes had no pupils. Just an endless sea of blue.

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“Let’s have fun tonight,” she told him, still smiling with those terrible teeth. “Kiss me.”

​

And he did.

…

She sat on the bed with the body, stroking its hair idly. Su hadn’t intended on taking a snack tonight, but she saw the human wandering near the crowd of party goers looking like a lost toy, so pathetic, and she suddenly had to have it. It was already drunk and lonely, so it wasn’t hard to bring the human under her spell.

​

Her phone rang. She looked at the contact information and felt a mix of annoyance and dread. Grandmother, the Matriarch of this clan of Fae, was calling.

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“Greetings, Grandmother,” she said respectfully.

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“Granddaughter. I heard that you caught something.”

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Dammit. It seemed like her grandmother had eyes on her. “Yes, Grandmother.”

 

“And you did it in the city?”

 

She rolled her eyes in a way that she never would have if she was in her Grandmother’s presence. “No one will notice. No one will remember my face when asked. It died of a heart attack, technically, and the humans won’t look for another cause.” They never did, not anymore. They’ve forgotten the Old Ways. It showed in how easily the human had given out his Name. A few centuries ago, a human would never have done that, even when being swayed with magic like this human had.

 

“Cansu.” She immediately bowed her head, feeling like a large hand was pressing down on her, and she gritted her teeth. “You are endangering your entire family. No, your entire race. You take any human you want as a snack and eat them anywhere you please. The humans will catch on. Remember your place.”

​

Su wheezed in pain as the pressure increased. “I apologize, Grandmother. I will not disobey you again. Please forgive me. Please forgive me. Please- I-”

​

“Remember your place.” Her Grandmother hung up and the pressure disappeared. She dropped to the bed, gasping for air. Grandmother used Su’s True Name too liberally. Su rarely thought it in her own head.

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‘Grandmother’s behind the times,’ she thought. ‘In the 21st century, any tourist is easy pickings.’