"Are you feeling all right?" Maddy asked, a note of concern in her voice. "You've been pretty quiet all evening."

"I'm fine," I replied, trying to shake off the unease that had settled over me. "It's just that it's unsettling to know that someone out there has my blood. I have no idea who it could be or why they would do something like this. It's a violation of my privacy and my body, and I can't shake the feeling that I'm being watched or targeted in some way."

"What do you think we should do?" Scott asked, looking to me for guidance.

I shrugged helplessly, staring at the fries on my plate as I tried to come up with a plan. "I have no idea. We don't have any leads, except that the person is probably familiar with medical procedures. That narrows it down to, what, 5% of the population here? It seems like everyone in this city works in the medical field."

"I don't think that's quite accurate," Maddy interjected. "I don't work in the medical field, and neither do either of you."

I let out a heavy sigh, trying to mask the sarcasm in my voice. "I was being sarcastic. Sort of."

"Still, it's a lead," Scott pointed out. "We know that the person must be familiar with blood and blood bonding, so it's probably a doctor or a lab technician, right?"

"What about that guy we saw earlier today?" Maddy suggested. "He seemed really interested in all of this."

I shook my head. "I don't think it's Clayton. He's just too excited about my blood and everything. I really don't think he's involved. But it's possible that he knows something or has seen something that could be helpful. Maybe we should talk to him again and see if he remembers anything else."

We finished our meals, each of us throwing out ideas about what had happened and who could be responsible. As we left the restaurant and stood on the sidewalk, preparing to say goodbye to each other, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over me.

"Are you sure you want Scott to stay with you?" Maddy asked me.

"Yeah, we have to go to work together tomorrow," I replied. "I feel safer with someone there with me. I can't shake the feeling that I'm being watched or targeted in some way."

"I can give you guys a ride back to Scott's car," Maddy offered.

"That would be great," Scott said, looking relieved. "It'll save me a few bucks on a taxi."

"Sounds good to me," I agreed. "Let's go." As we walked to Maddy's car, I couldn't help but scan the surroundings, wondering if the person who had taken my blood was out there somewhere, watching us.

As we drove back to Scott's car, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over me. I knew that we didn't have many leads to go on, and the thought of someone out there with my blood, potentially using it for nefarious purposes, was unsettling to say the least.

"Do you think anyone else at the station has information or has cases like this?" I asked, turning  Scott in the back seat.

"I'm not sure," Scott replied, looking worried. "Nobody has said anything to me and they know that we're dealing with this specific case. I can't see anybody there holding out on us. That would be really big information to not share."

"Yeah, it would be pretty shitty to not share info with us. Especially since the mayor's daughter is involved," I said. "But at the same time, we can't just do nothing. Maybe we should try and ask around to see if there are any similarities between our cases and other cases. We could talk to Clayton again, and see if he knows anything else."

Scott nodded. 

As we pulled up to Scott's car, I felt a renewed sense of determination. We might not have much to go on, but I was determined to find out the truth and put a stop to whoever was behind this. Together, we would find a way to get to the bottom of this mystery and put an end to the fear and uncertainty that had been plaguing me.

"Things are going to get better," Maddy said, hugging me. "They can't stay like this, plus you are an awesome detective. Have there been any cases that you haven't solved?"

"No, but this is not quite like any other case we've worked. The fact we haven't found any DNA evidence at all. Not a hair. Not a fingerprint. Hell, not even a single drip of sweat. Nothing that we can run to at least get a DNA profile on the perp."

"It's like a puzzle, Cassidy. Just put the pieces together and you'll see the picture. Sometimes the picture takes a little longer to see."

"I'm just afraid of what will happen if it takes us too long to see the picture. How many more people will die? Or what if they're successful and can create some crazy hybrid of me? Or just another hybrid of a human/vampire mix that they end up killing more humans?"

"Are you deadset on dusting whoever did this?"

"I mean, if they're in fact a vampire, yes. I honestly don't think that there will be any other choice other than dusting."

"I don't like the idea of hurting anyone, monster or human, but I agree," Scott said. "I don't think we're going to have a choice when it comes down to it."