Walk the Line: An Avengers Soulmate Story

13. Love is the sweetest lie

Raven curled into herself as she sat in the furthest corner of small cell. She refused to be caught off guard. She would never allow anyone to touch her like that again. How could someone who had claimed to love her, who she had planned to marry; how could they condone, let alone promote the treatment she had received? She didn't know how to keep all of her emotions from the two soulmates she had and she wouldn't blame them for forgetting all about her and moving on with their lives. The thought brought a tear to her eye but she knew she couldn't be who they had originally been destined to. Looking down at her hands, she remembered how the monstrous men had held her down before clamping the shackles around her. She immediately began scratching at the skin on her wrists and arms where they had touched her. She hadn't had an appetite since... the incident had happened but, she still felt the urge to remove whatever was left in her stomach rising inside her. Forcing it back down, she stared ahead at the door without actually seeing anything. Before she could sigh in relief at being left alone for the night, two new guards appeared with sinister smiles planted on their lips. Raven knew that her hopes were dashed. As they unlocked the door, the taller of the two told her that the crowned prince sends his regards for not being able to assist them as he had other things to attend to. Raven was equally relieved and sick to her stomach with hearing the message. Relieved she wouldn't have to see his face while he encouraged others to abuse her and sick that he seemed to genuinely enjoy the new situation. She was almost ready to give up on ever living outside the cell again. Every time she considered ending her own pain, the anger and fear emited from her marks was enough to shock her before they radiated support and warmth through her. She was afraid to call it love though. Love is nothing more than the sweetest lie, never to be trusted again.

~~~

Both of Raven's soulmates were distressed regarding her more frequent downward spirals. They were having a harder and harder time just sitting by. They knew everyone was trying their best to find her but nobody was having any luck. Strange couldn't see her, the Asgardians sent word to their world and received nothing helpful. Nobody had an explanation for any of it. It was unsettling, to say the least.

"Alright, what if we ask Loki or Wanda to tap into her mind and see if she can give us any information, you know, directly?" Nat spoke up as she walked in from yet another fruitless search. She immediately went to Banner who held her in his lap as he sat deep in thought at the table. "What are you thinking Jolly Green?" Tony was trying to keep some moral boosted but it was failing miserably, even for him.

Bruce glanced up and furrowed his brows at the comment but eventually spoke up. "What if we are all looking in the wrong places? What if they are hiding somewhere in plain sight. We have been scouring the remote, isolated, run down, and forgotten places from both Hydra and the Bretheren. What if it was somewhere obvious so they could keep track of our movements as well?"

Everyone turned to look at Steve and Tony while they kept their eyes downcast as they considered the merit of the idea. Tony spoke up first but specifically directed his questions to the pair of super soldiers in the room. "I say we go with Nat's idea while we do some recon on some of the more, integrated, base locations. This way we hopefully have all info before we stick our necks out to be chopped."

Steve and Bucky glanced at one another before turning to face Tony. "Yeah, I think it's worth a shot Stark." "Good idea." Both men offered their agreement to the billionaire before turning on their heels and heading out of the conference room.

They needed to get away as they felt their soulmate enduring more pain. It was enough to make them cry and lash out with a tornado of anger and hate built inside them. The pair hated how neither could truly be there for their shared partner and how much pain she was always in, physically, mentally, and emotionally. None of this situation was okay.

They would keep the love they held for their soulmate alive, hoping one day she would know them once again.