another one woohoo

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Steve had to admit that Alexander knew how to throw a party. The crowded ballroom that hosted hundreds spilled out onto a marble balcony with grand staircases on each side that led to the ground level. A beautiful garden sheltering the overflow of guests, paths spidering off around fountains and flower beds. He stood at the top of the stairs overlooking the green expanses, eyes sharp, analyzing every flicker of movement, no signs of trouble yet. Behind him in the back of the ballroom, Bucky patrolled; the matching black tuxedos they wore had been delivered that afternoon by a shy maid who left as quickly as she came. Probably due to the half-naked state Steve had opened the door in. The trio, having fallen into bed after another eventful breakfast, Athena pressed into the sheets with insistent hands and mouths.

Thinking of the morning had Steve's mood turning stormy again. It was in the early hours of the day; upon entering the dining area for breakfast, Prince Alexander walked straight to Athena, who had already been in her usual spot against the wall. Steve and Bucky were at her sides, talking quietly amongst themselves, the chatter silencing at his approach.

"Athena, I wanted to ask you a favor." The dark-haired man said with a smile that she was sure worked on most women he met. It was just another face, forgettable in comparison to her men. Alexander stepped uncomfortably close, unwavering to the looks he was now receiving from every direction of the room. He reached out to grab her hand and found his wrist in her grip, a confused look on her face. She released him as quick as she had snatched his wrist, side-stepping into Steves's side. The Prince gave her a look as if she was some simple-minded girl and laughed.

"I was just trying to take your hand." He shook his head, still laughing at her. Bucky felt his hands curl at his side, the noise of the metal arm whirring catching the other man's ear, his laughing subsiding.

"Her ears work just fine without you touching her," Steve said with a professional smile that only years of being Captain America could hone. Drawing the attention from Bucky, who did not have the same amount of control, considering it had to do with Athena. The past few weeks had been rough on the metal-armed soldier, his only solace in the two blondes who wanted nothing more than for him to feel secure again. They had always been possessive, but something snapped after his abduction, the fear of losing her manifesting into dreams that haunted him when she was not around.

"I wasn't speaking to you, Mr. America," Alexander replied, mirroring the smile before turning his eyes to Athena, who had masked her genuine emotions behind a calm face of indifference.

"What's the favor?" She asked, crossing her arms so that her hands were tucked away; everyone noticed.

"I would like you to be my date tonight at the party." He sounded as if he was bestowing such great favor upon her. His smug tone seeping into everyone of the soldiers poors as the man gave Athena another show stopping smile. "Though now that I think of it, it is not so much a favor I'm asking of you. More of a privilege I wish to bestow upon you."

"Excuse me?" Athena thought she was hearing things and spared a look to her left and right to make sure Steve and Bucky didn't miraculously disappear. Her brain tried to devise why Alexander thought it was wise to do this.

"And besides, I think it would be wise to have you close to me tonight in case, god forbid, someone tried to attack again." He said, reaching his hand out so it was in the air between them waiting. "What better place to keep me safe than right at my side, on my arm, for everyone to see. No one would dare anything then." His eyes subtly shifted between Steve and Bucky, his condescending smile wide and shining. Athena was happy to be the one to burst the delusional bubble the Prince was blowing.

"I will be close by at the ball; you don't need to worry about your safety, Prince Alexander. All you need to think about is all the fun you will have." Athena said with a smile that was as fake as plastic, her arms staying crossed, her shoulder pressed into Steve's side. He had crowded closer and was losing the battle to maintain a semblance of professionalism. It wasn't as if Alexander was offering any; the blatant disrespect in his actions was apparent.

Alexander dropped his hand to his side again, his face souring. Taking a step back, he flicked invisible dust from his linen suit.

"Very well, then I will expect a dance at the very least." He tried, his cocky attitude returning with little reprieve.

"ah 'fraid that's not going to be possible either," Titus said, stopping to stand next to the Prince with an apologetic look. "But if you're desperate for a partner tonight, I bet Kiera would be more than happy to take a turn around the dance floor with you."

Kiera had been more than vocal the past week of her growing hatred for the 'stupid rich snob' so Athena wasn't sure how happy she really would be.

Alexander gave a disgusted curl on his lip, "I am far from desperate, Agent." He spat out the title as if it was an insult and turned on his heels to storm to the head of the table. Barking out commands at the cook to bring the food out.

Steve tried to focus his mind again, turning to see Athena near the edge of the dance floor. Close by as promised.

Before her, the Prince danced in circles with a statuesque woman who had arrived with the rest of the masses. More private jets than Athena could have imagined were parked on the airstrip a mile offshore. Personal guards drove each guest to the compound in armored cars; how anyone could be in a party mood knowing the current atmosphere was beyond her.

Another hour into the extravagant showing of singles that prowled their way around the Prince, the 11th woman if her count was to be trusted. Athena noticed a glint of steel flash from a man's pocket. She was upon him before the surrounding guests could see the knife in his hand. Pulling him tight to her body, the pair looked like they were dancing. The hand holding the knife, in a bone-snapping grip by their sides.

"Now, why do you want to go and ruin such a perfectly nice birthday party?" She said sugary sweet in the assasins ear. Her other hand locked in his, a crack echoing around them but losing itself to the music. His face paled in agony while she raised a brow, taking a step and then another, taking her partner through the basic steps of the waltz. Moving him farther and farther from the Prince, who was none the wiser to the events unfolding.

"le-let me go!" he had the good sense not to raise his voice, his feet stumbling below them, but Athena's unyielding strength kept them up.

"But the song isn't over." She smiled up at her partner as if she hadn't snapped his fingers beneath her grip. She gave the broken hand another squeeze before she had the knife in her hand, pushing the attacker out to spin with her other hand, the steal now tucked away in a sheath at her hip. With a harsh tug, the assassin's chest collided with hers, and his hand was back in hers. The torture was evident on his face. "and you still have yet to tell me why." The mystery was eating at her the days she had been here. Why? Why attack a prince who lived in a mostly peaceful nation. They were not at war, nor did they have any international disputes. The lack of motive had her wondering what secrets the Prince and his security were keeping so tightly to their chest.

Athena wasn't beyond torture to get the answers she now knew were so close, his other hand now close to suffering the same fate as her grip tightened.

"My soulmate." He finally croaked out when Athena moved to break his fingers on his other hand. "He took my soulmate."

Athena was no longer smiling as she gave him a look that screamed, lie to me and die. Her fingers not tightening but not loosening either.

"He's done it to more!" The assassin continued frantically whispering to her, desperate to gain even ground. Athena looked around them, trying to be nonchalant as she edged them out of the crowd with another purposeful spin, suspicious now of every ear that was nearby.

"Stop talking." She growled before pulling him from the floor and out of the room, the crowd filling the path she made in her prowling, a few keen eyes following them. Bucky pushed off the wall near the exit to trail after them until he walked next to Athena. She did not speak till she pushed the man into an empty room, and the door was securely shut behind them. "Speak."

The would-be assassin took a moment to catch his breath, his hands raised in front of him. The left swelling in random places, dark bruises already forming.

"My wife and I are-were journalist from England, we had been traveling around the country side documenting the people and their indivual cultures. We were studying soulmate bonds in different countries to see the differences. When we found the Prince and his friends partying in a hostel, Angela had wanted to interview them. They were a large group of young singles that hated soulmate bonds; it was fascinating and macabre. We thought it was a cult at first; with the amount of money he had, he could have had one! But then my Angela-"His voice broke. "it was like that night, everything in her changed. She came back to our room, her mark-" a sob broke its way from his clenched teeth, and Athena felt her blood go cold.

"She burnt it off."

"Yes! In one night, he had talked her out of a lifetime of beliefs as if she was an impressionable robot and not the smartest woman I have ever encountered."

"So you were scorned by your soulmate and are now seeking revenge against the Prince?" Bucky's cold voice questioned the man, who frantically shook his head. Athena could smell the stench of fear in the air grow stronger.

"No! It's bigger than that!" His voice growing in volume now. "He's not human!"

The two Avengers fell silent at his accusation, so he continued. Desperately searching for a lifeline in his words.

"We have been watching him for months; he targets mated pairs and takes whichever one he fancies to join his harem. It never matters who; it doesn't matter what they believed before or who you were with before; they always agree. They always reject their bonds." He looked between the mated pair and fell to his knees, clasping his hands together to beg. "Please, you must understand! He is taking something sacred and destroying it!"

"Who is we?" Athena's emotionless tone gives away nothing. If he was lying to them, she needed to know who was next in line for her to hunt.

"I can't, I can't tell you. You will stop them, and he will just keep getting away with this." The tears that fell freely made Athena's chest ache, her mind imagining herself in his shoes and feeling despair.

"Your people, they think he's a mutant, don't they?" She raised a brow, and he nodded through the river of tears. "Why tell us any of this?" another piece that had bothered her.

His desperate eyes filled with an ache, holding his chest, he pleaded. "Don't you see how special the bond is? You have two."

She didn't give him a reply, only looking at Bucky, whose eyes had never left the Assasins. His glare was not so heated.

"If he's telling the truth, Thea." Bucky's voice took a grave note, trailing off as he thought of the possibilities. Athena only stepped to the man on the floor and began cuffing him to the ornate bed at the center of the room.

"Only one way to test that theory." She sighed, the weight of the situation falling on them.

"No! If it's true, I don't want you anywhere near him. In fact, we should all be leaving." Bucky sounded near frantic, grabbing her arm when she made for the door. Tapping his comm once, he glared at her to wait. "Team meets us at the third door outside the ballroom; we need to debrief. Subtly."

Ten minutes later, the room was filled with the entirety of their team, and they were informed of the new findings. A plan began to form among them that did not put Athena at direct risk of possible bond-shattering powers. Edward, the man cuffed to the bed, was more than happy to share every drop of knowledge he held on the Prince. The more he explained, the more the team believed him. His words filled in the gaps that the Princes guard left them.

It was Ralph who stayed silent, his own plans coming to form at the thought of Athena losing her bond with the two super soldiers. If the Prince held that sort of power, he might save Ralph a few steps in his plan.

"If Edwards's word is to be trusted, then we can't let Prince Alexander get his hands on anyone bonded; prolonged physical contact is all he needs to suck a bond from a person's soul." Athena couldn't stop thinking about the moment she met the man and how he had kissed her knuckle, holding her hand much longer than appropriate. Then it flashed to the morning when he had seemed so insistent on touching her.

"So that means you three are leaving," Titus said finally, making Athena balk at him.

"Titus-"

"He's right," Kiera interrupted her, "if he somehow used his power on you, then we are dealing with a much larger problem than before." Her head nods at Steve and Bucky behind her. They had stayed quiet to plan how to move forward. Their only interjections were on needing Athena at least 20 feet away from Alexander at all times.

"But what if he's lying," Ralph spoke for the first time, and all heads turned to him, including Edwards, who looked taken aback at the accusation. "He's here trying to assassinate a Prince. I don't think his words are enough to change the mission. We are here to protect Prince Alexander."

"And we will." Kiera shot back dismissively. "Once Athena agrees to leave with her bonds still intact."

"But she's the only mutant defense we have-"

Ralphs's sputtering was silenced by Titus, who crossed his arms menacingly.

"We are not risking one of our own; you've said your piece, now shut it." The larger man dismissed Ralph with one look before turning his eyes to Athena, who looked ready to protest but thought better of it on seeing her mate's expressions.

"Fine, but I'm not happy about this." She said with a sigh.

"We know, but it's for the best." Rebecca chirped, pushing past her to open the door and walk back towards the ballroom to the right. Steve and Bucky ushered Athena out, moving to the left. Kiera stayed in the room to deal with Edward while the rest of the team dispersed.

"I don't like running away like this; it makes me feel like a coward."

"Think of it as you're leaving to protect us." Steve reasoned, relief clear on his face the farther they got from the ball. "You are keeping our future safe by going home and leaving the mission to unbonded agents."

"Besides, now we can get a headstart on our vacation!" Bucky whooped, making her lose some of the tension in her shoulders, his energy infectious.

Rolling her eyes, she let them help pack her things, throwing her bags over their shoulders before they were heading to the beaches outside. The Quin jets once again parked in a line on the sand.

At the edge of the compound in the shadows, Ralph shook with rage; his plan had been ruined by his team's insistent need to protect their wretched soulbond. It abhorred him to think of his Athena being forced to leave the mission when he knew she wanted to stay so badly. He wondered if it was because a part of her wanted to break her soulmate bond just as much as he did.

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Wonder what will happen next.... whos to know...not me

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