Sentinel [Covenant #5] (12 page)

snickered as he pushed off the wall, raising his hands. “Look, all I was doing was telling her I would pull babysitting duties. She wanted me to stay and you to go. Don’t hate on me.” My nails dug into my palms. I’m on to you, jerk-face. You’re trying to piss me off on purpose. Seth winked, but then the door behind him swung open and Perses swaggered out, dressed in a white suit. Momentarily distracted, I moved so I could see around Seth. “Where did you get the suit? Wait. I don’t even want to know.” Perses laughed as he checked himself out in a gilded mirror. He wasn’t wearing a shirt under his jacket, and when he turned, the cut of his broad chest really drew the eyes. Speaking of eyes, they looked mortal now. “So the male Apollyon is babysitting me.” He walked up, clapping a large hand on Seth’s shoulder. “That will work.” Remarkably, Seth had no reaction to the Titan getting all hands-on. “We’ll have fun.” There was something in Seth’s voice that said he wouldn’t be having that much fun. I folded my arms, feeling like a mother who knew her child was about to go out and raise all kinds of holy hell but couldn’t prove it. It wasn’t that I thought Seth was going to try to take out Perses and run back to Ares. I believed with every cell in my body that he hated Ares as much as I did, but there was something going on. “What happened to your face?” Perses asked, startling me as he twisted back to the mirror and straightened his jacket. Aiden stopped whatever he was doing behind me, which probably involved giving Seth “I’m going to kill you while you sleep” looks, and placed a hand on my lower back. “That’s none of your business,” he snarled. The Titan simply laughed deeply. “The pure-blood is touchy, isn’t he?” Seth snorted as he headed for the door. Apparently he was going to wear his Sentinel uniform for his night of hell-raising. The daggers and gun were no longer visible, but I knew he still had them on him. “You have no idea,” he replied. “You know…” Perses faced us once more, and his brand spanking-new irises shone like polishedobsidian. “I could end you in half of a second.” I shifted so I was standing in front of Aiden. The knot of unease between my breasts grew and then doubled when Aiden somehow ended up in front of me. “I know you can end me with a snap of your fingers,” Aiden said, his body tense. “But it is still none of your business.” The smile on Perses’ face widened. I forced my muscles to relax as I stepped to stand side by side with Aiden. “Ares did it.” Perses cocked his head to the side as his gaze moved from me to Aiden and back. “I assume those are not your only scars?” I shook my head. At the door, Seth had paled visibly. He looked like he wanted to bolt. I couldn’t blame him. So did I. “How bad was it?” Perses asked. While I had no desire to discuss this with anyone, let alone Perses, we needed to keep the Titan somewhat happy. And if that meant strolling down Awkward Lane, then so be it. “It was really bad. He kicked my ass.” The Titan was unaffected by the statement, but he tipped his chin toward Seth. “Where were you when this was happening? Aren’t Apollyons bonded if there are two at the same time?” Seth didn’t answer immediately. “I wasn’t there for her,” he said, and those words were like a cold wind. “Interesting.” Perses shrugged his broad shoulders, stretching the material of his suit jacket. “It’s a shame.” I frowned, not following where he was going with that statement. “What is?” “What was done to you,” Perses replied. “I bet you were beautiful at one time.” *** Sitting on the most comfortable couch known to man, I picked at the dinner Aiden had ordered from room service after Perses and Seth left to go do things it was best not to think about. Aiden sat beside me, the TV was on, and we were trying to be normal, but my mind was elsewhere. I felt edgy, restless. Aiden laughed softly, drawing my attention. A small smile pulled at my lips. “What?” “You haven’t heard a word of what I’ve been saying, have you?” My cheeks flushed as I shook my head. “Sorry. I’m just distracted. What were you saying?” “It honestly wasn’t anything important.” He put his empty plate on the glass coffee table and twisted toward me. Taking the plate from my hands, he also set that aside, and then faced me. “Are you okay?” With anyone else I’d get annoyed with that question, but coming from Aiden, it made me love him more. “I’m fine. Really, I’m not lying.” “Something is on your mind.” He reached out, gently clasping my cheek and causing a delicate shiver to skate over my skin. “You’re still beautiful. You know that, right?” A wider smile pulled at my lips. “What Perses said isn’t true.” He bent his head, brushing his lips over mine. The touch was barely there, but I felt it in every part of my being. “You are still as beautiful as you were the night I saw you standing in that warehouse in Atlanta.” I placed my hand on his chest, kissing him back as his heart jumped under my palm. “Thank you, but it’s not what Perses said that’s bothering me.” I pulled back, running my teeth over my tingling lower lip. “I mean, yeah, I’m as shallow as the next girl, and hearing that kind of sucked, but it’s not like I haven’t accepted that I’m not going to be entering beauty pageants any time soon.” “What’s going on in there, then?” Aiden tapped his forefinger off my temple. At first, I wanted to say nothing and just enjoy this quiet time with Aiden, because I doubted we wouldhave many more moments like this for a long time, but there was no reason to keep things to myself. No matter how small it was, I owed that to Aiden. “It just seems bizarre to be sitting here while everything is going on.” I shook my head, frustrated for a hundred different reasons. Unable to sit still, I stood, and the floor was cool under my bare feet as I padded over to the window. Vegas at night was like seeing the stars on the ground. “It’s not like we have endless time on our hands. Ares is doing gods-know-what right now. Our friends are back at the University, where we’re not.” “Apollo is with them. He’ll keep them safe.” “I know.” I pressed my forehead against the window and blew out a breath. “And who knows what Seth and Perses are getting themselves into. You saw it outside, right? He walked past two guys and they started fighting. That and Seth’s charming personality is a winning combination.” “You’re worried about what kind of trouble they’re getting into?” he asked, and I heard him stand. “Yes. No.” I sighed and turned toward him, leaning back against the glass. “It’s just ridiculous that we’re doing this. Perses is going to cause trouble. And Seth? I doubt he’s really going to try to stop him.” Aiden stopped a few feet in front of me. “You want to go see if we can find them? Maybe tail them?” Tipping my head back, I closed my eyes. That seemed like a reasonable idea, but… “No. Seth will feel me the moment we get near him, and it’s not…” I stifled a groan. “There’s something going on with him.” Even though he didn’t say anything at first, I felt his sudden shift in interest. Tension poured into the air, and the cord tightened deep inside me. “Do you think he’s up to something?” “Seth is always up to something.” I let my arms fall to my side and squeezed my eyes shut until I saw little white dots. “I know it’s not anything to do with Ares. It’s something else. I can feel…” I trailed off as it hit me. I did groan out loud then. “Dammit.” “What?” Aiden’s voice was closer. “I feel frustrated, restless, and pissy, but I didn’t know why. It’s not me. I’m picking up on Seth through our bond. And I know that’s weird and you probably didn’t ever need to know that, because it’s worse than having PMS—” Without warning, I felt Aiden’s lips touch the center of my throat, and I gasped. Opening my eyes, my gaze locked with his. “Gods, you’re as quiet as a ninja.” One side of his lips tipped up, and his hands settled on my hips. “So, you’re telling me that Seth’s not in a good mood, therefore you’re feeling the effects of it?” “Yeah.” My mouth was suddenly dry. Trapped between his body and the glass window, I felt my pulse kick up. “It’s been awhile since we’ve been around each other. I forgot that it does that.” Truth was, I knew that was part of the reason why I was feeling antsy, but I also knew there was something else going on with Seth. I couldn’t put my finger on it, though, and I didn’t want Aiden to worry needlessly. His hands slid up my hips and settled on my waist. “So how do we fix this?” “Fix it?” Aiden dropped his forehead to mine. “Seth can be in whatever mood he wants to be in, but there’s no reason for you to have to feel it if there’s something we could do.” I was about to tell him that it really wasn’t that big of a deal, but then he tugged me forward, watching me as he did so, and I didn’t say a word. “Maybe you need a distraction,” he murmured, lashes dipping but not quick enough to shield eyes that were now a heated silver. What I needed to do was to stop whining and enjoy the downtime. Maybe we could go out and sightsee. I almost laughed, because seriously, that would be so inappropriate given everything, but I honestly didn’t want to be anywhere that required me to share Aiden’s attention.Because the kind of attention Aiden was giving me right now was the stuff dreams were built of. Forcing myself to let out a long breath, I shook it all off—Seth, Perses, and Ares. I pushed away the fact that Aiden would be employed in the afterlife, and thoughts of the battles that lay ahead, and the uncertainty of our futures no matter what happened. I wanted to be here with Aiden, because he was here with me. I focused on those pink, bedazzled walls in my head, hopefully cutting off Seth’s access to what I was feeling. So didn’t need a peeping Seth for this. “A distraction would be nice,” I agreed in what I hoped was a serious voice. His fingers curled around my side, tightening. He pulled me into the warmth of his body, and I tipped my head back. “Any ideas?” My mind produced some really naughty ideas like rapid fire. So many, so quick, I was actually worried for myself. “Maybe you could kiss me? That seems to always distract me.” “Hmm, I could do that.” He lowered his lips to mine, and electricity zinged through my veins. It was that spark—the spark I only had with Aiden. When he lifted his mouth from mine, I almost whimpered. The kiss wasn’t nearly long enough. “I’m not sure that worked at distracting you.” I shook my head, my heart racing. I placed my hands on his chest, fisting his black shirt. “Try again?” “I can do that.” He moved his hands to my back, and then his lips were pressing against mine, coaxing them open. The kiss was deep, shattering in the way it completely took me over. I clung to him as one hand flattened against the small of my back and the other caught the ends of my hair. “Did that distract you?” he asked, his voice thick. I was barely breathing or standing on my own. “A little.” “A little?” he said, and his chuckle caused me to shudder. “I’ll have to try harder.” Aiden’s hand drifted down my lower back and around the curve of my waist. His long fingers slipped under the hem of my shirt, and I jerked when they touched my skin. “Still trying,” he said, using the hand in my hair to guide my head back and expose my throat. He pressed tiny, hot kisses against my throat as his hand slipped up, curving over my breast. I moaned his name, and he made this deep sound in his throat. “Keep trying,” I said, letting my eyes fall closed as his lips pressed against my pulse. Aiden murmured something and shifted his body against mine, wringing another breathy moan from me. In this moment, everything was about us and only us, and I welcomed it. A second later, my shirt landed somewhere on the floor, and the glass against my back was cool. He snaked an arm around my waist and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his hips as he brought my mouth back to his. There was something raw and feral in the way he kissed me then. It was a possession, a welcome one that staked a claim on my heart and soul. He turned, and in one powerful surge he trapped my back against a nearby wall and pressed the entire length of his body against mine. I wanted to feel his skin against mine, but with the way he was sealed to me, that wasn’t happening. Our mouths collided, hungry and demanding as I threaded my fingers through his hair. His lower body rocked against mine, sending sharp pulses through me. The marks of the Apollyon raced to the surface, causing my already sensitive skin to tingle. We kissed like we were drowning in one another, and each time he rolled his hips, I felt like I’d shatter apart. “Gods, Alex,” he said between kisses. “You’ll never know what you do to me, how you make me feel.” I had a pretty good idea. I brought his mouth back to mine, and I don’t know how he could obliterate my senses with his kisses and still manage to walk, but he did. He stalked toward the bedroom, his hands tight on my hips. My back parted the gossamer canopy over the bed, and then he laid me down, his mouth trailing off my lips and gliding down my heated skin, followed by his hands. Sitting up, I tugged his shirt off, and he laughed when I tossed it outside of the bed, outside of our little world. The sound brought a smile to my lips, and he froze over me, his knees planted into the bed oneither side of my thighs. “I love seeing you smile,” he said, cupping my cheek. “And I miss it when it’s gone.” A knot formed in my throat as my fingers traced the hard lines and rises of his chiseled stomach. “I missed this.” He smiled as he lowered himself, putting most of his weight on the elbow next to my head. When he kissed me again, it was much slower but no less intense or soulful than the ones before. He kissed me until my body burned under his, and then he moved south, slipping the straps of my bra down my shoulder and then getting rid of it completely. Those lips sought out every scar, and there are many, and I never felt more beautiful than I did in that moment. Or when he flicked open the button on my pants, and then hooked his fingers under the band, slipping them plus another very important article of clothing down my legs. The air was cool, but not for long. Aiden returned to me, and I got the top button of his pants undone before he starting moving down. It wasn’t like the first time, when Aiden had stopped to ask permission. He didn’t hesitate. He dropped a
sweet kiss against the inside of my thigh, and then there was lightning in my body. Even tapping into akasha couldn’t compare to the feeling. I broke apart into a million, dazzling pieces. When he lifted away from me and leaned out of the canopy, I whimpered. “Condoms,” he said, reaching into the drawer of the nightstand. I heard clothing hit the floor, and I rose halfway up. “Found them earlier.” I laughed, relieved that we were playing this safe since it was doubtful the shot was still working. “Nice how they keep those stocked.” “You should’ve seen the rest of the stuff in here.” He came back to me, and my breath caught as my gaze dropped. He was absolutely beautiful. “Maybe later I’ll show you.” My curiosity was piqued, but then Aiden kissed me again, and I wasn’t thinking about what could be in that drawer. He nipped at my lip, and I opened to him. His tongue slipped inside, curling my toes as he settled between my legs. His mouth left mine, traveling down my throat and between my breasts. He hovered there, my body arching against his until he traveled back to my mouth. “Agapi mou,” he murmured, capturing my lips in a searing kiss as he thrust his hips. There were no more words, not with our bodies moving together, our tongues twisting and our hearts pounding. I rolled him onto his back. His muscles tensed and rippled under my hands. The sweetest fire burned through me as I leaned down, whispering against his lips. “I love you.” Aiden shifted me so I was on my back once more, his body shaking as he moved over me, inside me. A powerful tension curled inside me, and I coiled my body around his. My chest swelled so much, warring with the other intense feelings inside of me so that when I cried out, it was almost too much. Sometime later, our breathing still rapid and heavy, Aiden pressed kisses to the lids of my eyes, to my cheeks, and then to my parted lips. He threaded his fingers through mine, holding them down beside my head, kissing me softly. “I love you.” And then he started all over again.CHAPTER 17Something crashing to the floor jarred me awake. I shot up in bed, clutching for the sheet as my eyes adapted to the darkness. The canopy was still, but my heart was racing and I felt…I felt ridiculously happy. Like everything in the world was right. What Aiden and I had done into the late hours of the night had been earth-shattering, but this was different. Aiden stirred, rising halfway up on his elbows. “What is it?” Before I could utter a word, what sounded like a heavy body hitting the floor broke the silence. “What the hell?” Aiden swung his legs off the bed. I stood, finding his shirt in the darkness. It fell to my knees when I slipped it on. I grabbed the dagger off the nightstand, and by the time I made it to the bedroom door, Aiden already had his pants on and gun in hand. But the pants were unbuttoned and hung low, and well, with his sleep-tousled hair and his cut abs all on display, I got a teeny tiny bit distracted for a second. Aiden caught my stare and his lips tipped up. I forced my gaze away before I said screw it and jumped him. Outside the bedroom, we headed for the door to the living room. He unlocked it and entered first, which was stupid considering I was the Apollyon, but he was a guy. Flipping on the light, he drew to an abrupt halt and laughed—laughed deeply and loudly. Tension eased out of my muscles. Whatever was going on couldn’t be bad if he was laughing. I peeked around him and my mouth dropped open. Perses was sprawled on the floor, missing his jacket. There were red marks on his white slacks, some a dark crimson. Others were a deep red and more like smudges along the zipper. A basket of meatballs was on his chest—half were in the carton, and half had rolled down his twentypack abs. The Titan reached down, picked up a meatball from somewhere near his belly button, and popped it into his mouth. “These things are so damn good.” There were no words. Seth leaned against the couch. No shoes. No shirt. His amber eyes were glassy and unfocused. Now the half-stupid happiness I felt upon waking made sense. “You two are completely trashed,” I said, eyes wide. Seth raised a hand, busted knuckles bruised and raw. “We are…not drunk.” “Really,” Aiden drew out the word. Fighting the smile on my face, I loosened my grip on the blade. “What happened to your hands?” “Nooothing,” Seth replied, chuckling. Perses chewed loudly on another meatball. I glanced at Aiden. “Is that blood on your pants, Perses?” “Among other bloodily fluids,” he replied, and then he snorted. “Gross.” Aiden shoved the gun in the back of his pants and folded his arms. “I’m assuming it’s not your blood?” The Titan laughed. Okay. I was starting to get a little worried. “It’s not a mortal’s blood, is it?” Seth pushed to his feet and swayed to the side. He sat—er, fell back—onto the couch. “No. We raninto some daimons.” I stared at him. “And you decided to get into a hand-to-hand bitch fight with them? You could’ve just used one of the elements or akasha.” “Your buddy has a lot of pent-up aggression,” Perses said, picking up a meatball. He sat halfway up and tossed the meatball. “I like him.” Even drunk, Seth had ninja reflexes. He caught the meatball with a laugh. I had no idea what to say. “All right, as entertaining as this is, make sure you two are sober enough by noon.” Aiden turned, catching my free hand. “Have fun.” At the door to our room, I glanced over my shoulder. Seth was leaning way to the side, eyes drifting shut, expression slack. It was then when I noticed that, like Aiden, his pants were unbuttoned. Between him and Perses, I wondered how they’d even made it back to the hotel room. Back inside the bedroom with the door locked, Aiden pulled the gun out and placed it on the nightstand. “Wow,” I said, grinning. He laughed. “Wasn’t expecting that.” “Me neither.” After relieving me of the dagger, he stepped back and eyed me. Even in the darkness, I could feel his intense stare. “I know I’ve said this before, but I like seeing you in my clothes.” Warmth spread over my cheeks, and heat flooded my veins. “Good. I like wearing them.” “But you know what I like better?” I didn’t get a chance to say anything before he hooked his fingers under the hem of the borrowed shirt and tugged it over my head. The material fluttered to the floor as he clasped my hips, lifting me up. Aiden’s lips brushed mine as he spoke, eliciting a series of shivers. “I like taking them off.” *** Hades appeared exactly at noon, not a second early or late, and didn’t ask any questions. He popped us back to the middle of the University, and while I was a little woozy on my feet from the method of travel, Seth looked like he was going to hurl up everything he’d drunk the night before. That explained the way my stomach was churning. Bastard. Which was confirmed a second later when Seth said, “I think I’m going to vomit.” Aiden cast him an amused look. “Lightweight.” “Shut up,” Seth moaned, clutching his stomach. The air in front of us shimmered, and then Apollo appeared in front of us, startling me enough that I took a step back. My eyes narrowed on him. Couldn’t any of the gods just walk somewhere? Okay. If I could pop in and out and avoid stairs, I’d do it, too. And I’d probably get the same amount of sick pleasure Apollo got out of doing it. Hades stepped forward, eyeing Perses before he turned to Apollo. “I hope you’re right and this idea works.” He tossed a sneer at the Titan, who scoffed loudly. “The son of a bitch doesn’t deserve a chance, and you know it.” The sun seemed to soak through Apollo’s skin as he leveled a stare on the other god. “As I recall, you had no other suggestions.” Hades smirked. “I did. Shut down the Underworld and let you guys battle it out.” He shrugged. “You didn’t like that idea.” With that, the god disappeared. “I have never been a fan of Hades. Over-pompous asshole,” Apollo muttered. I arched a brow. That was something coming from him. The Titan’s lips curled up. “You’re still a glowing bundle of fun, Apollo.” Apollo narrowed a gaze on Perses. “Do not start with me. You know what has to be done. And Ipromise you, if you cause us any problems, you’ll end up on Prometheus’ rock, except it won’t be an eagle pecking away at you.” “What would it be, then?” Curiosity marked Seth’s tone. Apollo’s smile was chilling. “I’ll do it. Personally. Strip by strip with a dull blade dipped in cobra venom. And then, when I’m done at the end of the day, I will sew you back together to just start all over the following day.” “Wow,” I murmured. “Inventive.” Perses didn’t look impressed. “I’ve heard worse threats.” My eyes widened. Beside me, Aiden hid his smile while scrubbing at his chin with his palm. Seth had a far-off look on his face, as if picturing what Apollo had said. Didn’t think it was possible, but he turned even more pasty. “Are you okay?” I asked. Seth waved one hand. “Yeah, perfect.” “So where is the army I’m to train?” Impatience filled Perses’ tone. “All I see are buildings and a few children of demigods peeking around corners. I hope they aren’t your warriors.” I snorted. “No, they’re not. They’re students. Our army is trained. They’re—” “Trained as Guards and hunters, right?” Perses chuckled mockingly, and I sort of wanted to see Apollo break out the dull blade. “They may be skilled when comes to hunting daimons, but are they skilled enough to fight?” “They won’t be fighting Ares,” Aiden explained, earning an interested look from the Titan. “Ares is heavily guarded by mortal soldiers, daimons, and automatons.” Perses’ brows knitted. “Your army should be able to defend themselves against two of them. The automatons would be a problem, but they’ll just have to be quicker. I do not see what you need me for.” “As Sentinel and Guards, we’ve never tried to work together in groups larger than three or four. We were never trained on war tactics. And I need you,” I said, hating myself for having to say that. “I need you to prepare me for facing Ares. You have already seen how that went the first time.” Seth’s eyes tightened. “You also have to prepare me to fight Ares.” The likelihood of me letting Seth near Ares was right up there with me actually cooking myself a dinner that was edible. I opened my mouth, but Aiden jumped in. “And I need to be trained on how to fight him as well.” “Guys, the last time I checked, I was becoming the God Killer, which would make me pretty badass as it is. And with Perses’ training, I’m going to also be kickass.” “That doesn’t mean you don’t need back-up,” Seth retorted. I wished he’d just go puke somewhere. I swallowed hard against the sick feeling leaking through the bond. “And you’re not facing Ares alone,” Aiden added. And I wished Aiden would go hold his hair for him. Apollo rolled his eyes. “Children, really, Alexandria is a big girl and doesn’t need two boys rushing to defend her.” I smiled broadly. “Exactly.” Neither Aiden or Seth looked like they agreed, and the look Aiden sent me promised that we’d talk about this later. Oh, we would. He wouldn’t like the outcome. There was no way in holy Hades Aiden was getting within a city block of Ares. Perses exhaled roughly. “I can spend the mornings training your army and the afternoons working with one or three of you. I really don’t care how many, but I can tell you this. Ares would’ve sensed my presence the moment I stepped into the mortal realm. He knows I’m here. He will be unnerved by it, but the longer we take, the more time he will have to rebuild his confidence or bring in more reinforcements.We attack immediately, within the week, or we lose our advantage. Because if you have spies, so does he.” I glanced at Apollo. Perses had a point. We couldn’t string this out. We would need to move fast, but would we be ready? Would I be ready? Apollo’s jaw tensed, and then he nodded curtly. “A week from now, on Monday, we move on the Catskills. We take on Ares.” *** Training with Perses was like running into a brick wall, getting back up, and face-planting into it again just for the fun of it. We’d started immediately with our training. Of course, Aiden and Seth took part. It was a waste of breath to try to convince them otherwise. Just like when Seth and I used to train, we drew an audience of Sentinels, students, and staff. Word got out quickly that there was a Titan on campus, something that most people never thought they’d see. I couldn’t blame them for gawking. Among those crowded around the largest training room in the athletics building were my friends. Which was great, because there was nothing like having friends and strangers around to watch you get your ass kicked. And we were getting our asses kicked. I’d hit the padded floor more times than I could count, taking turns with Seth and Aiden, who were doing no better than me. It was Seth’s turn, and I eased myself down, biting my lip when my tailbone hit the mat. “I think I broke my butt,” I moaned. Sitting beside me, Aiden reached over, rubbing his hand along my lower back. The touch ached at first, but the steady burn started to ease my muscles. “Yeah, that was a pretty nasty landing you took.” It had started out so perfect. I’d gotten behind Perses, who, by the way, was weaponless, and had sprung up and spun out, about to land a beauteous spin kick when he whipped around and caught my leg, throwing me down like a rag doll. My butt had broken my fall. Seth was currently backed into a corner by Perses, dodging the Titan’s vicious strikes. In theory, we had a week to train before leaving for the Catskills. It was a twenty-three hour drive, and Marcus was currently rounding up a billion vehicles for the trip. The army mostly needed standard tactical training, but us? We had to actually knock Perses down and gain the upper hand before our training would be complete. Sounded easy until I realized that Perses was like Ares on steroids. Either way, by Monday morning, we were leaving, prepared or not. I glanced over toward the door. Deacon spotted my gaze and winked. I grinned at him, and my gaze moved on. Several pures were staring at Aiden and me. Apparently, a pure-blood touching my back was more shocking than a Titan kicking an Apollyon’s ass. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the match in front of us. Dipping under Perses’ outstretched arm, Seth came up behind the Titan, and just like I had, he prepared to deliver a vicious kick. Perses turned and dipped, catching Seth’s foot. Unable to keep his balance, Seth hit the mat on his side. Perses tipped his