The mirror's misdeed

The glass walls of the Zenith Heights skyscraper offered a panoramic view of the city, but to Agreed, it looked like a cage. Down below, the humans scurried like ants, unaware of the thin veil that separated their mundane lives from the ancient, savage magic of Laross. Agreed leaned back in her Italian leather chair, the scent of expensive perfume and ozone filling her office. In the human world, she was a ghost—a woman with no past, no birth certificate before the age of six, and a bank account that could buy half the state. They called her "The Oracle of Lagos" because she never made a bad investment.They thought it was business intelligence. They didn't know it was a curse."Ma'am?"Agreed didn't turn around. She was staring at her reflection in the darkened window. For a split second, her pupils bled from chocolate brown into a piercing, predatory gold. She blinked, and the human mask was back in place."Speak, Tunde," she commanded.Her assistant cleared his throat, sounding nervous. "The meeting with the rival firm, Silver-Line Tech… their CEO has arrived. He insisted on seeing you personally. He said the merger won't happen unless he looks 'The Oracle' in the eye."Agreed narrowed her eyes. Silver-Line Tech was the company she had been tracking for months. They were developing a "low-frequency pest control" device—a metallic cockroach. Her visions had been screaming at her for weeks, showing her that device bathed in a toxic blue light, melting the very gates of the Laross kingdom."Send him in," she said, her voice like velvet wrapped around a razor blade.The heavy mahogany doors creaked open. Agreed didn't move. She waited, letting the silence build, a power move she had perfected over years of corporate warfare.But then, the air changed.A scent hit her. It was subtle at first—the smell of damp earth, crushed pine needles, and the electric charge of a coming storm. It was a scent that didn't belong in a climate-controlled office in the heart of a concrete jungle. It was the scent of the Laross forest. It was the scent of home.Agreed stiffened, her heart hammering a rhythm she hadn't felt since she was six years old, standing before the Mirror."They told me you were cold," a voice said. It was deep, smooth, and carried a faint vibration that made the hair on her arms stand up. "But they didn't tell me you were the kind of woman who hides from her guests."Agreed swiveled her chair around, her expression a mask of ice.The man standing there was tall, dressed in a charcoal suit that cost more than most people's cars. He was handsome in a way that felt dangerous—sharp jawline, eyes the color of stormy seas, and a smile that didn't reach his eyes."I don't hide," Agreed said, her gaze locking onto his. "I observe. And right now, Mr…?""Gabby," he said, stepping forward. He didn't offer a hand. He simply stood there, invading her space with that intoxicating, familiar scent. "But you already knew that, didn't you? The Oracle knows everything."Agreed felt a jolt of electricity go through her. Up close, his eyes were almost… iridescent. She looked for the tell-tale signs of a werewolf—the slight elongation of the canines, the way he carried his weight—but he looked perfectly, frustratingly human.Yet, the vision in the back of her mind flared white-hot. She saw this man standing over a pile of rubble, holding a glowing blue device. She saw him looking at her with tears in his eyes as the world burned."You're late, Gabby," Agreed said, her voice steady despite the chaos in her chest. "And I don't like people who waste my time."Gabby chuckled, a low sound that vibrated in the room. "I think you'll find I'm exactly on time, Agreed. In fact, I think we've both been waiting for this meeting for a very, very long time."He leaned over her desk, his face inches from hers. For a moment, the corporate office vanished. In the reflection of his eyes, Agreed saw the Mirror. She saw the Prince who had stayed behind. She saw the betrayal that had cast her out."Let's talk about your satellite codes," Gabby whispered. "And I'll talk about my cockroach."