Ilianna wasn't only a powerful witch, but also a very strong clairvoyant—and a far more reliable one than I'd ever been.
"No, I haven't." She frowned, expression suddenly concerned. "Is it the fire elemental?"
"I think it could be. I know he was having trouble controlling it earlier."
"I'll do a locating spell and see if I can find him."
"Great." I hesitated. "Though if the elemental has taken over, will a locating spell even work?"
"I don't know." She bit her lip for a moment. "A locator spell works on the energy of the person, so with Tao's body chemistry constantly changing—flowing from flesh to elemental depending on which being has more control—it's going to be difficult to pin him down. But I can try."
"Let me know the minute you find anything. In the meantime, I'll rope in Stane and Jak."
"Why the hell would you involve Jak?" Her voice held a note of disbelief. "It's not like Tao needs someone like him—someone only after a good story—on his case."
"Jak has his nose to the ground and can hunt stories in places neither of us would get near," I said. To say Ilianna had a hate-on for Jak was like saying night followed day—blindingly obvious.
"You be careful with him, Risa. The last thing you need in your life is another heartbreak."
"Trust me, Jak is getting nowhere near my heart." I gave her a lopsided grin. "Or my body."
She harrumphed. "I'll be in contact."
"Thanks."
I hung up, then scrolled through the contacts list until I found Jak—though truth be told I knew the number by heart—and rang him.
All I got was a recording telling me to leave a message. I did so, asking him to let me know if he heard about anything unusual dealing with fire, then tossed the phone back onto the bed and decided to grab a shower while I waited for Azriel to return.