Kiss of Death Page 0,56

and as they reached the rows where the humans were, Oliver turned and snarled at the other vampires, who were starting to get to their feet.

They were hampered by close quarters, but there were a lot of them. Jacob bounded up, gave Oliver a second's dark look, and then jumped up on top of the headrest of the seat next to him, crouching like a bird of prey. Patience did the same on Oliver's other side. "No," she said flatly, as the vampires started to move toward them. "Stay where you are." Michael reached them and snapped Claire's bonds first. It took him a precious few seconds, because the plastic was tougher than he'd thought, and he had to try not to hurt her. As soon as she was free, he leaned over Eve and pushed out the side window with one powerful punch. Metal bent and shrieked, glass shattered, and the whole window assembly fell out onto the road. Light streamed in, pure and white-hot, and hit him full in the face. Michael jerked back into the shadows with a choked cry. Claire had a blurred impression of burns, but he didn't give her time to worry about him. "Out!" he yelled, and grabbed her by the waist to boost her toward the window. The inch of skin exposed between his coat and gloves sizzled like frying bacon. Claire grabbed hold of the jagged edge of the window and looked down. The bus was still rolling, and it was picking up speed as it started down the hill. "Claire, jump!" She didn't really have a choice. Claire jumped, hit the hard pavement with a stunning thump, and rolled. She managed to protect her head and curled up in a ball on the white-hot surface. The bus kept on rolling. She could hear screaming--and fighting. Another window broke, next to Shane. "Come on," Claire whispered, and clambered to her feet. She hurt all over, and her ankle felt as if she'd sprained it, but that didn't matter right now. She watched the bus. Nobody came out the window. Claire started to run after the bus--limped after it--and had to stop when her ankle folded under her after a dozen steps. "Shane!" she screamed. "Shane, come on! Get out!" Her attention was completely fixed on the bus, but she had good survival instincts, thanks to Morganville's harsh training; she sensed a shadow behind her, and dropped just in time. Morley. He was baking in the blazing day--not sizzling like Michael, but definitely turning toxic-sunburn red.

And he was angry. His hand blurred through space where she'd been, and if she'd been in the way, he would have broken her neck. She rolled and stumbled back to her feet, felt the left one give way again, and hopped backward. Morley gave her a feral, awful grin. "Nobody leaves the tour," he said. "Especially not you, little girl. Amelie wants you back. I'm certain of that. You're my insurance. No fair limping off on your own." He reached for her, and out of the corner of her eye, Claire saw a black shape hurl itself from the shattered bus window and streak toward them. At first she thought it was Michael, but no --Oliver. He hit Morley like a brick wall and threw him fifty feet down the road in a rolling, slapping mess. Then, after an irritated look at her hopping on one foot, he scooped Claire up in his arms, then turned back to shout, "Michael, leave it! Get out!" A car was roaring over the hill behind them--a police car, with half the light gear ripped off and dangling, and holes punched in the doors and windows. It had clawlike scrapes in the hood. It didn't slow down for Morley, who scrambled to his feet and dived out of the way as the cruiser rocketed past. It screeched to a sliding halt, crossways in the road, and the driver threw the passenger door open, then the back. Oliver tossed Claire into the back of the car, left the door open, and raced back to the bus. He leaped up, clinging to the open window, reached in, and grabbed something--a handful of black coat--and dragged. Michael toppled out the window and fell heavily on the road. Oliver dropped down, cat- steady, and reached down to pull Michael to his feet. He took off his own hat and jammed it down on Michael's bare blond head, stripped off his own long black coat,