Witch or vampire?

The key

He's my son, by Mark Schultz

„I'm down on my knees again tonight,
I'm hoping this prayer will turn out right.
See, there is a boy that needs Your help.
I've done all that I can do myself

Can You hear me?
Am I getting through tonight?
Can You see him?
Can You make him feel all right?

If You can hear me
Let me take his place somehow.
See, he's not just anyone, he's my son."

The scent of her blood wafted across the room and threatened to overwhelm all my senses completely. I fought against my instinct, I wanted to retain my conscious reception at all cost.

Reuben had almost completely eradicated my control with his torture.

I yearned to be at Helen's side, I would've loved to support her. Hearing her scream in labor had almost been worse than the warlock's cruelty.

My head swam with fuzzy thoughts. When I'd been a child, I hadn't understood why I couldn't be with my mother during Stefan's birth. I'd had to wait in front of her door.

Past blurred into present... Then I heard the baby cry... a thin high-pitched sound.

We had a son! Why was Helen crying? Why couldn't she rejoice? He didn't cry loudly. It just seemed to be a faint protest against her tears.

She rocked him gently in her arms and tried to calm him. When she gave him her breast, he fell silent and I heard him suckling greedily. Through all my pain, the beauty of this sound made me smile.

I leaned my forehead on the cool iron bars while I crouched on the ground. My awareness was only shreds which flickered through my mind, clear thoughts mixing with murky fog.

They mustn't kill him, nobody should kill him! But wouldn't that be better than giving him to Kane? None of us knew what he wanted to do with the boy.

I had no power left in me, most notably on the physical level. The warlock had bled me out many hours ago and infused me with vervain. I had noticed that he had collected my blood the last few times, but I couldn't imagine why.

It didn't matter, he would kill me soon anyway and my agony would come to an end. At least, I hoped so. Motionless, I rested on the ground and dozed away.

At some point, I heard a commotion in Helen's cell. I raised my head and saw Laura running back and forth. Something was wrong.

Why could I still smell Helen's blood? Kane had given it to me so often, I would've recognized it anywhere. Laura stuck her head between the bars and peered towards the tunnel.

"KANE!" she yelled as loud as she could. "KANE!"

I looked at her and our eyes met. „What's... wrong?" I croaked.

„She's hemorrhaging", she replied.

Helen was dying? I got agitated.

„She needs blood", I said.

„Yeah, I know", Laura replied impatiently.

„KANE... WHERE ARE YOU?" she yelled again.

"No...no, listen, she needs vampire blood", I insisted.

She gave me a disbelieving glance, but I nodded fervently.

That was when I heard footsteps. Kane was approaching. Meanwhile I could recognize their steps.