Free Blood and Mistletoe by E. J. Stevens

was trying to feed me deer food?  Okay, maybe she was mad as a hatter. 
    “Um, no thanks,” I said.
    I shuffled my feet wondering how to begin.  Asking faerie favors was tricky.  A faerie bargain was binding and immortality gave the fae a long time to practice their deal making skills.  I had learned the hard way that faeries will always get the upper hand.  The trick wasn’t winning so much as surviving.
    And I didn’t have time for haggling.
    “Too bad,” she said.  The Cailleach sighed and tucked the bag of corn into the folds of her rag dress.  “You would have made a lovely pet.”
    Mab’s bones, she really did want to turn me into one of her pet deer.  My chest tightened and I struggled to breathe normally.  This wasn’t the time for a panic attack.  I shook my head and focused on the job.  I needed to learn the location of Leanansídhe’s lair and get the hell out of Dodge.
    “I can bring you more deer food, for information on where I can find Leanansídhe,” I said. 
    I planted my feet hip width apart and took a deep breath.  My gloved hands were cramping, but I held tightly to my anti-fae charms.  If this went down badly, I’d have to fight or run.
    The Cailleach rummaged through her cart, finally finding whatever it was she was looking for. 
    “This will lead you to the Faerie Mistress,” she said.  She held out a hotel key in a gnarled hand.  “But human food will not sate my pets.  If you wish to strike this bargain, I require a branch from the hamadryad’s tree.  Fetch me a branch before the Yule log fully burns or face my wrath.  That is my offer.”
    Crap, what were the odds that I could do as she asked?  But what choice did I have?  I needed to find Leanansídhe before she unleashed her zombie lovers on the world.  Talk about a Christmas gift from Hell.  I lifted my chin and nodded curtly.
    “Deal,” I said.
    The hag raised her hand and cackled, the laugh ending in a phlegm filled cough.  The hotel key fell to the frost covered ground.  With a squeak of the rusty cart, The Cailleach lurched away, the bundle of sticks on her back rocking to and fro as she shuffled deeper into the park.
    Was the key the clue, or did it require a vision?  I skirted the key like a viper, finally hunching down and slipping a glitter topped pencil from my belt.  I slid the pencil through the key ring and lifted it to the streetlight.  A fancy crest and the words “Bishop Hotel” gleamed dully in the flickering light.  I’d sniff around there and see if anyone had seen any suspicious activity.  Maybe the Faerie Mistress was staying there and the key led to Leanansídhe’s room.
    It was a start.
     
     

Chapter 9
     
    O ne thing was painfully obvious as I strode up the steps of the Bishop Hotel.  No one had occupied a room here in years.  The door hung open, the frame swollen and warped from damp and disuse.
    I pushed the door open wider with the toe of my boot and peeked inside.  Black mold climbed the walls, marring the elaborate wallpaper and draperies.  The lobby was lit only by light from the street lamps outside that filtered in through the open door and a broken window gaping above a second floor balcony. 
    I flicked on a mini maglite and shone it around the room.  The floor looked sound, though I avoided the decaying carpet runner as I stepped into the room.  I covered my face with a gloved hand and stifled a sneeze.  Dust rose in amber clouds as I tiptoed further into the hotel lobby. 
    I shone my light along the floor where small feet had walked back and forth through the dust, a large object dragged between them.  Someone, probably Leanansídhe’s redcap henchmen, had been here recently. 
    I followed the tracks, careful not to make a sound as I walked past a marble counter and into a dark service passage.  The hallway was wide, but unadorned.  An old laundry cart stood beside a metal door farther down the hall to my right and a storeroom spilling its