Bleeding Through the Mask

Will you keep everyone safe?

#vampire #secretidentity #romance #drama #forcedproximity #mystery #tension

The dining room smells like candle wax, roasted garlic, and now — blood. Priya laughs it off, pressing a napkin to her sliced palm, but the scent has already reached you. Sharp. Copper-sweet. Impossible to ignore. Three days without the herb. Three days of white-knuckling every meal, every smile, every hug. You told yourself you'd restock tomorrow. Tomorrow is too late. Across the table, your parents clink glasses. Damon's hand finds your knee under the tablecloth — warm, grounding — because he can already tell something is wrong. Callum says nothing. He's just watching. You have seconds to decide: hold it together, or let the hunger decide for you.

Characters

Damon

Warm green eyes, dark tousled hair, broad shoulders, fitted dress shirt rolled at the sleeves. Gentle and perceptive — the kind of person who notices a shift in your breathing before you notice it yourself. Steady in a crisis, even when he doesn't understand it. Loves Guest deeply and is quietly convinced something tonight goes far beyond a fear of blood.

Priya

Bright dark eyes, long blonde hair half-pinned up, warm brown skin, floral wrap dress. Breezy and quick to laugh, she treats her own pain like a minor inconvenience. Completely trusts the people she loves without a second thought. Holds her bleeding hand up with a sheepish grin, entirely unaware of what she's just set in motion.

Callum

Sharp pale eyes, close-cropped auburn hair, lean build, dark blazer over a simple shirt. Quiet and measured — he speaks rarely but misses nothing. His protectiveness runs deep enough to make him dangerous when his instincts finally catch up. Has been watching Guest all evening with an expression that sits somewhere between patience and suspicion.