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He disappeared. I picked up the phone again and dialed Ilianna. “Hey, gorgeous,” she said, expression cheerful and green eyes glowing with happiness. “How are you?”
I couldn’t help smiling. “The celebrations obviously went well last night.”
“Very well. I’m one contented mare right now. Not even the fact that I have to meet Carwyn again can spoil it.”
Carwyn was the stallion her parents were trying to set her up with. According to Mirri, he was rather hot—in bed and out—but given Ilianna’s preferences, she was either going to have to be honest with her parents or get stuck with a mate she didn’t want.
“When is that happening?”
She grimaced. “Tomorrow night. I think it was supposed to be just him and me, but Mirri is coming along. She thinks we should be honest with him.”
“It can’t hurt, can it?” She couldn’t help her sexual preferences, and the sooner Carwyn was aware of them, the better it would be for them all.
“He’s a horse-shifter,” she said dryly. “A male horse-shifter. They don’t think straight when it comes to mares.”
“I’m still siding with Mirri on this one.”
“Traitor.” The fierceness of her tone was more than a little diluted by the glint of amusement in her eyes. “To what do I owe the honor of this call?”
I hesitated, then said, “Tao’s walked out of the café and can’t be found. I don’t supposed you’ve had any particular vibes were he’s concerned?”
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.
He’d done so by the time I’d dressed, and one look at his expression told me everything I needed to know. I swore and thrust a hand through my damp hair. “Now what are we going to do?”
“There is nothing we can do—not until he regains his flesh form.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
He studied me for a moment, expression giving little away. “If he doesn’t, you have a choice to make.”
