A/N: I apologize for the tardiness of this chapter. I know this was the scene that everyone has been waiting for since I finished The Blood's Desire. I would have updated this sooner, but real life got in the way and I was working on my other story, My Ghost (Love) Story. So here we go! Better late than never, right? And it's not abandoned… I still have ideas for these two and company.

Synopsis—Christine was shot… and Erik desperately tries to save her.

The Beginning of the End

There was no thought but the need to protect the one she loved.

Taking the bullet that was meant for Erik was so obvious that the outcome of death never crossed her mind. All Christine had to do was take a step to the side that put her in front of the target and the entry was immediate.

Pain, unbearable pain, surged through her body… her nerves all alive with that internal fire spreading rapidly.

As she fell to the ground, she was captured by the man she loved. Her first thought was—huh, not where I thought it would hit. She thought maybe the bullet would hit her thigh or her shoulder… but her stomach? That was surprising.

But once again, the idea of death did not seem a likely option.

People get shot all the time and most survive to live another day.

She will survive… she had to…

The pain grew and Christine was gasping for breath.

Frantic voices were all around her, an agonizing wail in the background. There was pressure at her stomach—someone was trying to stop the blood flow—but Christine knew it was futile.

All that pain… all that blood rushing out of her system… she wasn't going to live. Not when that bullet had been made of silver and she had drunk Erik's blood. The poison would certainly kill her if the wound does not.

It was definitely not the way she pictured herself when she died, but then again, who can predict the moment they die?

At least she was with Erik one last time.

At least she told him she loved him.

Too bad she had to break her promise about never leaving him…

Faint.

Everything was getting fainter now and her struggles started to weaken.

Surrender, a voice whispers. Surrender.

Yes, she thought back.

There was one last stab of pain as if a part of her was ripped out and at last Christine closed her eyes and succumbed to the voices in the darkness.

xxXXxx

Consciousness began to return bit by bit.

Christine felt groggy, but the feeling didn't last long and she felt sensation in her limbs, but there was no pain when she moved.

Odd…

She distinctly remembered pain.

Then realization dawned on her—pain, dying, and darkness—she died but why did she feel like she was alive?

Christine pushed herself up on her arms and saw she was in the basement again. Her clothes were stained with blood and as she lifted her shirt—all she saw was the smooth planes of her stomach.

No wound, no bullet.

Only the blood on her clothes was the evidence that revealed she had been shot.

Her hand flew to her chest and her eyes widened in shock when she felt no heartbeat.

That would mean…

Christine gasped when she saw Erik sitting at the edge of the bed, his eyes locked on her as he patiently waited for her to make the conclusion.

"Am I—" she started. Her voice was raspy and high, but it was more of a reaction to the moment. "—I am," she finished when she saw the slight nod of his head.

"Yes," he said. "You are like me now. Oh Christine! I never wanted—I thought—"

But his words died when she threw herself at him, kissing him breathlessly. Of course, they didn't need to breathe, but for Christine, the feeling was new and strange and when she pulled away, sucking in air, it was more of a habit than anything.

"Christine," Erik moaned and he cupped her cheek. "I need to know—how do you feel?"

How did she feel?

It was a loaded question if she had to be honest. But there was no way to describe the feeling… except she could feel everything! That one taste of her lover instantly had her heated, aroused, and wet all at once that she wanted to straddle him and ride him hard—but at the same time there was a low growl in the pit of her stomach.

She was hungry.

Dreadfully hungry.

Erik saw it reflected in her eyes and did not start when her face began to change on instinct.

Like his demon, hers was shocking and frightening, but it was still his Christine.

Her forehead had heightened the bone as it jutted out to create a ridge across her brow; even her cheekbones became pronounced as they lifted and made her features sharp rather than soft and feminine; her mouth was red, her teeth white as pearls, but her incisors looked to be deadly foes as they extended to graze her lower lip; and lastly, her eyes—blue in her human form—were now a golden hue, bright and fiery and possessing with a single stare.

There was no denying the hungry look within them and Erik suppressed the groan that was threatening to slip.

There would be time later for them to explore each other in this new state of senses and passion.

For now, his demonic Angel needed sustenance.

Erik raised himself from the bed and extended his hand towards her as his face began to Change into his demon.

"Come," he said in that rich baritone of promising heat. "We will hunt."

Next: The Hunt—Erik teaches Christine how a vampire feeds and she finds herself doing something she never thought she would do…