*** Trigger alert::: Blood, gore and swear words.

...-...

As time went by, Naina made a concerted effort to avoid Rajveer. Despite this, she continued to pilfer two more shirts from his laundry, hoping to acclimate herself to his scent and prevent any unexpected confrontations. However, she soon realized the error of her ways and felt remorseful for stealing his clothes, especially since he didn't seem to have many to begin with. As a result, she purchased several shirts and t-shirts for him and surreptitiously placed them in his closet without his knowledge.

She snuck through the window during dinner time, feeling victorious as she completed her mission. However, her triumph was short-lived when she realized she hadn't seen Rajveer since that morning. Scanning the room, she noticed that his jeep keys, wristwatch, and wallet were missing. "Has he gone somewhere?" she asked the empty room.

Exiting through the window, she made her way towards the mess. However, her eyes fell on an orderly and she felt compelled to ask him about Rajveer's whereabouts. The orderly informed her that Rajveer had left for work early in the morning and had not returned yet. Although this seemed reasonable, something inside her was urging her to investigate further. She felt as though her mate was in danger.

Determined to take action, she searched for the cook who she had often seen with Rajveer. Through her accidental eavesdropping on their whispered conversations, she had learned that Rajveer was on an undercover mission at KMA, and the cook was an undercover officer named Lt. Bunty Chaubey who was assisting him.

Naina located Lt. Chaubey in the kitchen area of the mess and approached him with a smile. "Mr. Bunty, I need your help," she said.

The other helpers left the room, leaving them alone. "What can I do for you, Cadet Campbell?" Lt. Chaubey asked with a sly smile.

Naina's expression turned serious as she glared at him. "Where is Captain Rajveer? Why hasn't he returned yet?" she demanded.

Bunty was taken aback. "Cadet Campbell, I'm just a cook here. Why would Captain Sir inform me of his whereabouts? And as a cadet, why do you need to know where he is?" he asked after a moment of hesitation.

Naina approached him, giving off the aura of a predator stalking its prey. "I know who you are, Lt. Bunty Chaubey. Now, tell me where he is, or you'll regret it," she threatened him. For emphasis, she momentarily dispelled her illusion, revealing her blood-red eyes.

Bunty let out a nervous laugh, feeling unnerved by Naina's blood-red eyes. He was surprised he hadn't noticed them before. "Sure, since you're Captain Sir's favorite student, I'll tell you what I know. He had a meeting in the headquarters and is expected to return tonight," he said with a shrug.

Naina nodded and stepped back, giving him some personal space. "Thank you," she said before leaving.

After she left, Bunty wiped off his sweat and muttered to himself, "My god, what a terrifying cadet the captain has got!"

...-...

As the cadets finished their dinner, Naina was drawn to a news segment playing on the TV in the mess. She instructed the orderly to increase the volume, and the news reporter announced that there had been a car accident earlier that morning, 10 km from KMA. The jeep involved in the accident had fallen off a cliff, and the driver, identified as Captain Rajveer Shikhawat from KMA, had died on the spot.

Naina's body froze, and she felt as if the ground had slipped from underneath her feet. She walked out of the mess in complete silence, and her thoughts were in a state of chaos. She went back to her hostel room without knowing what she was supposed to do next. Her mind was racing with emotions; she felt guilty for not checking on Rajveer properly. As a vampire, her first priority was always her mate - to love, provide, and protect him. She felt like she had failed him in all aspects. She didn't take care of him, and she had failed her mate. Naina fell on her knees, unable to contain her emotions, and started to cry.

Naina didn't know how long she was in that state before deciding to investigate the accident area. She changed into a black outfit and left, smelling a strong scent of blood as she passed the faculty quarters. She was puzzled as the scent was coming from Rajveer's room. Upon entering, she discovered Lt. Bunty unconscious and bleeding heavily from the back of his head. Though she was distracted, her determination to find her mate kept her focused. She knew she should report the incident to Dr. Shalini, but she was unsure how to explain her presence after lights out.

Naina made the decision to act and wrapped Lt. Bunty's head with cloth before swiftly carrying him out of the academy. She took him to the nearest hospital, pretending to be his sister and stating he had hit his head while slipping in the bathroom. Naina paced in the cabin while waiting for Lt. Bunty to awaken, which he did two hours later. When she asked, he informed her that Rajveer was alive and had called him to retrieve a file from his room. While there, someone struck him from behind. As Rajveer trusted Naina, Lt. Bunty revealed his location to her. Naina expressed her gratitude and instructed Lt. Bunty to cooperate with the hospital authority regarding his accident story. After paying his hospital bill, Naina proceeded to Rajveer's location.

As she ran towards the location, she tried to recall what else she smelled in Rajveer's room. That's when she realized why she thought something was strange. Captain Rajveer's room had Huda's fresh scent. But since Bunty was bleeding so much, it covered up Huda's scent at that moment. "First that bomb and now this? Huda, I gave the benefit of doubt... but if you're responsible for my mate getting hurt then I swear I'll tear you into pieces." she growled angrily.

After following Bunty's directions, Naina sensed that her mate was nearby and likely injured, causing her bloodlust to flare up. She knew she needed to control it to prevent harming him. Naina tracked Rajveer's scent and found him resting near a fire. Although relieved to find him alive, Naina struggled to control her bloodlust due to his injuries. She decided to stay hidden in a nearby tree until she regained control.

After two hours, Naina had acclimated to Rajveer's scent enough to approach him safely. However, she heard the sound of approaching heartbeats and saw two armed men heading in his direction. Listening to their conversation, she learned that Bunty had received a call from Captain, who had overheard their conversation and informed him of Rajveer's possible location.

"I'm going to kill that idiot after I'm done with these ones." Naina growled silently.

She listened to Rajveer's calm heartbeat and realized that he was still unconscious. She grinned as this would be the perfect opportunity to remove this bastards from this world. She jumped from her tree to a tree near those men.

"Boss said to make sure this time that Captain dies." one man said to other.

"If that idiot's information is right, then we have to make sure this time there's no mistake." the second man said.

'If they die, the proof against Huda will vanish as well. Good thing it's not morning. So, I would be able to get away with only killing one and injuring another. That way Rajveer sir could arrest him and interrogate him. Good strategy, Naina!' she thought to herself smugly.

She jumped down from the tree, right in front of them and greeted them with a smile. "Hello!"

Startled by her sudden appearance, they jumped back and pointed their guns at her. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" they asked.

"I was resting up in that tree and you were speaking so loud that it disturbed me." she replied sarcastically.

"W-What?!" They gave her confused looks at her answer.

"Sooo... what are YOU guys doing here... in the middle of the night... with guns? Are you guys terrorists?" she asked casually.

"Don't talk nonsense, girl! Move away from our path. We're not here for time pass." said one of the men angrily.

"Tsk tsk... such bad manners!" Naina shook her head regretfully. "Were your parents too busy entertaining each other to teach you proper manner?" she asked, in a sugar sweet tone.

Angered by her statement, that man tried to hit her with his gun, but Naina stopped him mid movement. "Aww... you felt bad? Don't worry, dear. I'll teach you the lesson your parents forgot to give you." she stated in an eerie tone.

Then before he could react, she grabbed his gun, pulled him towards her, and then round house kicked him. At Naina had used some of her vampiric powers, his shoulder dislocated before severing his arm from his body at her kick. He flew twenty feet away and bumped into a tree with a harsh thud before loosing consciousness. Blood spurted out of his gaping hole like a blood shower.

Naina grinned before throwing away the severed hand. "Would you like the same treatment as your teammate or would you like to get arrested and interrogated by Indian Intelligence?" she asked politely.

The second man gaped in terror and disbelief at his teammate. Naina wrinkled her nose at the scent of fear-induced urine. The adrenaline rushing through his veins was palpable. "Arrest...," he whispered. "W-What are you?" he stammered.

Naina smiled. "If you tell anyone about me, I won't tear off your arm like I did his. I'll tear off your head instead," she said in a calm tone.

"I-I won't t-t-tell..." he was sweating and crying at the same time. He had thrown his gun away and was pleading with his hands clasped together by now.

"Good boy," Naina said, smiling at him.

Then, she seized him and tied him to a tree with ropes she had gathered earlier while searching for Rajveer. She had a feeling that the danger her mate was in wasn't over yet. "Stay here like a good boy. If you try to escape, then..." and she gestured towards the injured man.

"N-No... I promise I won't move even an inch," the man vowed.

Naina walked up to the injured man and stared down at him. "If you're alive by the time I come back, you'll become my meal. So, don't die." she ordered the unconscious man before going to Rajveer

Upon sensing the change in Rajveer's heartbeat, Naina winced, realizing that he must have regained consciousness when the man screamed earlier. Fortunately, he was too weak to investigate. Naina took a deep breath and resumed her human façade, huffing as if she had been walking for miles or running through the forest. Bursting through the tree line, she acted surprised and called out, "Rajveer sir! Is that you?"

Rajveer, who had been feeling as if he were floating on the clouds since he had woken up from the scream, wanted to investigate but was too weak to even stand up. When he heard a familiar voice calling his name, he looked up and saw Naina running towards him. At first, he felt as if he were looking at an angel, but after a few moments, he recognized her. "N-Naina?" he whispered.

She came to kneel in front of him, cupping his face and asking, "Are you okay? Oh God! You're really hurt," as she started to check him over.

"How did you find me?" he asked, sounding suspicious.

Naina grimaced. "I threatened Lt. Bunty. But he didn't tell me anything. However, when you called him to get something from your room, he was attacked. I snuck him out of the academy and took him to the hospital. That's where he told me your location," she said, telling him most of the truth.

Rajveer gazed at her with a mixture of astonishment and confusion, asking with a knowing raise of his eyebrow, "Why didn't you inform Dr. Shalini as you were supposed to?"

Naina pouted and whispered, "I was wandering around the academy, waiting for you. I was concerned when you didn't return as expected, and to make matters worse, the news reported that you had died." Venom collected in her eyes as she spoke.

Observing her closely, Rajveer couldn't explain why, but the thought that someone would be deeply upset if something happened to him filled him with warmth. As an orphan, he had never had someone care enough to worry about his disappearance. Naveen was the first person who had shown him what it was like to have someone who cared, and now, it seemed that Naina had taken up that role. "Why do you care?" he asked straightforwardly.

Naina glared at him with anger, replying sulkily, "Just because." She then assisted him in standing up.

Rajveer felt very weak, but his brain was not at rest. He observed how easily Naina had borne his weight as he leaned heavily on her. As they began walking through the forest to escape, he asked, "Naina, does anyone in the academy know that you snuck out?"

"No. I plan on taking you to the same hospital as Lt. Bunty and returning to the academy. But... what about the man I caught trying to find you? I overheard him on his phone saying that he was going to end your game. He even had a huge gun. That's why I caught him and tied him to a tree," Naina informed, faking a confused expression.

Rajveer was instantly alert. "What?! You tied him to a tree? NAINA! He must have escaped by now. And you shouldn't have confronted him alone. He could have hurt you!" he scolded her, worried for her safety.

"I'm fine, Rajveer sir... and I tied him really tightly, I swear," Naina assured him.

Rajveer shook his head in disbelief. "You're not a superhuman, Naina. What if you had gotten hurt? I wouldn't have even known to save you," he scowled.

"Okay. Sorry. Next time, I'll just sit on top of a tree and watch them kill you," she replied with a huff.

Rajveer struggled to contain the smile that threatened to surface at her words. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a spot where Naina shone her torch towards a tree. There was a man with long hair tied to it. Rajveer watched in disbelief as the man begged him to arrest him and promised to reveal everything he knew about his boss. "What did you do with him?" Rajveer asked.

"Eat your mangoes. Don't count the trees," Naina replied before leaving Rajveer to lean against a tree while she untied the man. She tied one end of the rope to his waist and hands and dragged him towards Rajveer. Then, she helped him lean against her, and they began to walk out of the forest.

"You're really strong... but you'll still be sore all over your body tomorrow," Rajveer said, concerned.

"As long as you're fine, it'll be worth it," Naina replied absentmindedly.

"Why, though? Why did you risk so much for me?" he had to ask.

"It's my life, my choice," Naina replied stubbornly.

...-...

Naina took Rajveer to the military headquarters instead of the hospital upon his insistence. Once she was sure that he would be safe, as they were close enough for Rajveer to enter by himself, Naina went to hide nearby. If anyone from the academy saw her, they would report it to BC, as she had snuck out of the academy.

"Make sure he enters the headquarters safely... or else," she told the goon threateningly.

Rajveer looked at her with a mixture of amusement and disbelief and asked, "You're trusting my safety to this... goon? Seriously, Cadet?"

"Don't worry, sir. He'll behave. If he does anything other than what I told him to, I'll do what I promised him I'd do," she replied mysteriously.

Rajveer chuckled. "See you in the academy, Cadet."

Naina nodded and moved away. She hid nearby and watched until they were safely inside before sighing in relief. "I saved him," she whispered to herself. "I promise to be extra careful about his safety from now on," she vowed to her vampire self, which was screeching angrily in her head for denying the soulmate bond in the first place.