Alister didn't immediately respond.
Instead, he crouched beside the corpse, examining the four small wounds around Adrian's neck.
They were unusually clean, almost perfectly circular. There was very little damage to the surrounding tissue, suggesting whatever had caused them had pierced his neck with considerable precision.
He extended a finger towards one of the wounds, stopping just short of touching it.
"How interesting."
Cinder approached, her crimson eyes narrowing.
"Have you figured out what happened?"
"Not yet."
Alister's gaze moved across the corpse before settling on its face.
"However, there's something strange about this."
He reached out and lightly touched Adrian's forehead.
"He's been dead for a while."
Cinder glanced at him.
"How long?"
"Hard to say without examining the body more thoroughly. But judging by the condition of his skin and the blood on the floor, he certainly didn't die a few moments ago."
Cinder's expression turned serious.
