The Las Vegas Mayoral race is heating up, and the incumbent doesn’t have a prayer. Wealthy real estate speculator Nick Campenelli, who wants to legalize prostitution in the entire city, not just in the Clark County parts, and former pastor Louis. St. Louis, running on a clean-up-Vegas-by-getting-rid-of-the-whores platform, are the front runners.

They’re also front runners on the suspect list for a string of murders. Kennedy O’Brien, four-year detective with cop blood running in her veins, and her partner Wilder “Wild Thing” James, a veteran, are determined to find the man who’s murdering prostitutes who work the wrong side of the street, and they don’t care how important or politically active he is.

The killer is a man with a mission. He stalks the women before he kills them, leaving a “BEFORE” photo on their bodies, and sending an “AFTER” shot to the local news hound. Ed Hershey, an aging newscaster with just the right amount of grey in his hair, is determined to turn this story into a network gig, and his interference, along with the LVTVS legal team, are making Kennedy and Wilder look bad. Campenelli’s good looks and charm, and St. Louis’ vitriolic hatred of prostitutes are muddying the waters too, and now the killer seems to have taken a liking to Kennedy. So the big question remains. Can she get him before he gets her?

The Kingdom of Darklaw is torn. The Architect, Emperor of Darklaw, a vicious man who required that his people worship him like a god and taught his children everything they know about torture, murder, and subjugation, is dead, and both his children want the throne. The son is mad. The daughter is a murderer. One of them will win.

Kami, the last Essanti of the Emanation of Instinct, is drawn to Asada, the daughter of the Architect. Emissary of the throne of Darklaw, Asada, once known as Avestine of the Hunt for her relentless pursuit of her father’s enemies, has been in hiding. She’s been pretending she wants nothing to do with the throne while the need for vengeance on her brother Avestar gnaws at her soul. She believes she was the chosen heir to the throne, but she’d been willing to share until Avestar, who proclaims himself the Emissary, kidnapped her daughter and hid the girl. Now she believes her daughter is dead, and Kami is, in some way none of them understand, a catalyst for Asada’s ambition and rage.

Asada, with her bound Essanti Rook, an Emanation of Justice; take Kami with them as they begin to claw their way back to the throne. They have a plan, a torturous maze of diplomatic juggling and clandestine murder that will outmaneuver Avestar. The plan is impossible, and will impossibly succeed, at least for the true Emissary. Unfortunately, Avestar has bound an Essanti of his own and Kami is as yet unbound and unpredictable.

The Essanti are a power no one truly understands, but being the last Emanation of a Power is something greater yet. Kami may destroy everything, or she may save the world. Asada knows she should bind Kami, but is torn between her love of Kami and her need for the throne of Darklaw. Yet someone must bind her or everyone may die.

In this collection, Cindy Lynn Speer, author of The Chocolatier’s Wife and editor of StereoOpticon, a collection of re-told fairy tales, gives us several new stories and an interesting look at the classic ‘Cinderella’ as well. Cindy’s stories examine the roles of women, our expectations, and the aftermath of the classic happily ever after in interesting, sometimes disturbing, ways.

Every Word I Speak: Most of us know the fairy tale of the girl who, because of her kindness, was given the gift of gems and flowers that fell from her mouth with every word she spoke, but what happens afterward? Who can she trust and what will they want from her? This version of the story is a dark and troubling tale, and absolutely delicious for those of us who like our fairy tales unmarred by a Disney ending.

One Hundred Eight Degrees: Once upon a time, a fairy tale princess discovered the truth of her kindom and led a revolt to overthrow the evil tyrant. And then she died on a pyre, her allies dead or scattered. That’s only the beginning. This fairy tale princess gets a new start in a new world, one with computers, and canned soft drinks, and cars, but what will she do with it, and can she start over with a clear conscience, knowing that she’s left her people behind?

Remember: In “Remember,” the fairy tale princess is just a dancer who falls in love with an artist, but the artist isn’t free to fall in love. It’s not safe. So what happens to the princess who finds her happily ever after and then loses it in the blood of her lover?

What Will I Do When This Dream is Over?: Matilda is a unicorn, calmly cropping the grass in Emmy’s front yard. Hank is her ex-boyfriend, who can’t see her anymore because, she’s afraid, he’s angry with her for not putting out. Emmy’s been preparing for the day Matilda would show up all her life. It’s been like a dream, always there. She’s been called upon to do a job, to save the world, and now it’s time. Emmy’s off on an adventure. She hopes she’ll win, beat the bad guys, save the day, but if she does, what happens after?

The Fortunate Ones: Once upon a time, there lived a people who were always fortunate. And then they discovered that their fortune resided in their women, so they turned them into a commodity to be bought and sold. Annabelle is living the dream with her very successful husband, except he beats her sometimes, when he’s angry, when things don’t go right. She doesn’t like knowing she’s a commodity. She doesn’t like thinking like that. But she has to, and it’s up to her to save herself. If she can. If she can take her fortune back into her own hands.

But Can You Let Him Go?: The fairy godmother who provides Cinderella with her pretty clothes and shoes and the ride to the ball is paying penance for her mistakes. When she’s not passing judgement on foolish and avaricious humans, she’s hunting for Cinderella, the Cinderella in this tale, at this time, and the handsome prince who will give Cinderella her happily ever after. She needs to get it right. She needs to save them both. If she doesn’t, she’ll never see her people again. Her sister, however, is determined to see her fail, and she’ll do all in her power to make that come to pass.

And With This Slipper…: In this essay, Cindy Lynn Speer discusses the many Cinderella stories there are in the world, in almost every culture, and what it is that makes us love it so.