I keep a list of all the people who has done me good. This chapter is dedicated to Coamyxx. Thanks for my very first dedication and simply your all around awesomeness!

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Edwin interlocks his fingers with Josslyn's hand and pulls her deeper into the morning mist. Soon, she finds herself racing toward a precipice with a 10-foot drop. 

"No, no, no! Don't pull me off the cliff!" She resists his pull toward the last inch of rock beneath her feet. He turns to her, hair whipping across his face, eyes wide like a dare devil kid about to maneuver a life threatening stunt. He bellows a hearty laugh, tugs her into an embrace and flips them head first into the deep acqua tinted pool down below.

"You're so in trouble!" she screeches.

She plunges into icy water. The chill is a rude awakening of all her senses and she desperately reaches for Edwin but fog doesn't penetrate through water so he's invisible. Even the clothes that are now bonded to his body are invisible.

Josslyn strokes upward and gasps for air as she breaks surface. The smell of the forest has become more palpable than ever. Edwin emerges from the below the surface and grabs hold of her body, guiding her head onto his broad shoulder. He is visible above water but invisible submerged under it, an unbelievable sight to behold.

Josslyn breaks away from him and splashes water into his face, "I was not ready for that!" Heck, she'd challenge him to a dive any day, but at least allow her room to hyperventilate first!

Edwin bellows another laughter, and God, she's missed that rare resounding echo. Her husband has a quiet, melancholy dismal nature about him. That, coupled with a set of breathtakingly sad eyes and Edwin becomes the saddest soul to walk planet Earth. 

And who wouldn't be? Try hanging by the edge of a cliff for seven lifetimes, unwilling to let go because the fall is too far yet too weak to pull back up onto solid ground. Edwin lingers there between life and death; neither rejoining with loved ones on either side, never experiencing the companionship of another human being. That type of torture eventually erodes a person down; breaks his body, mind and soul, ultimately leaving the spirit empty and hollow. Those brown irises doesn't reflect off light, they instead reflect a hue of merciless sorrow so gut wrenching in design, no human mind can ever fathom. And it rubs off on her. Josslyn seldom smiles herself. But she covets her king's laugher and rejoices as it reverberates like a choir from heaven.

She swims to shore and he follows suit. Wringing her dress, Josslyn notices that the mist had dissipated but not enough to unbind him. Her breath falls shallow as she ogles him sauntering out of the water like a God, his long hair swept back, lean muscles rip and roaring, a twisted smirk on his face. She knows he knows what he's doing to her. He's mastered the skill of stealing her breath away.

Edwim grabs Josslyn by the waist and brings her mouth into a long drawn kiss. His tongue feels like feather on skin and then it sinks deeper, passionately brushing against hers. He drools with desire and she swallows him willingly. After all, he is her man. She'd swallow him any day, any time, if he could provide it. He breaks from the kiss, grins ear to ear, and presses his forehead against hers, "I love you so much, and I've miss you."

"I've missed you too." She clasps both hands over his cheeks. That's another problem with loving an invisible man. No matter how close they are, it still feels like they are lightyears apart. There is always a lingering void, a space left unfufilled, a baren wasteland stretching too far the distance to meet in the middle. In fact, it's been nearly three months since they've spent quality time together - in physical form, that is.

Josslyn glances up toward the drop off  and chuckles, "how many times have you jumped off that cliff?"

Edwin snickers, his dimples more deeper than ever. "Twenty three." Why not test immortality? That is one of invisibility's blessings. One can't kill a force one can't touch. But in corporeal form, Edwin knows he is as mortal as any other human being.

A flock of sparrows swoops directly overhead. Edwin and Josslyn glance upward toward a majestic ceiling of canopies basking in warm shimmering shades of red, gold, and yellow all intermingling against dark pines of Douglas-firs.

Sauntering over to a towering tree, Edwin pats the rough bark a few times. He waves her over and she skips like a jolly kid toward him. He smiles, that familiar hippity-hop belongs to a little girl he's watched grow into a woman - his woman. Her footprints streak across the dirt and drops of water from her hair polka dot a trail behind her.

"Look at how tall this guy is," said Edwin, circling the girth of the tree. 

She glances up toward its crown. "Yes, it's a masterpiece."

"You know what we should do?" Edwin's eyes light up.

"What?"

"Build a tree house!"

She laughs, "Oh Edwin Dawson, forget thirty, you're twelve."

"Thirty by face, twelve by heart." He chuckles, "think about it, we build a rustic tree house, put a small fireplace in there –"

"Fireplace? In a tree house, in the middle of a forest, your grandest idea yet." She grins facetiously

"Stay with me honey - my juices are flowing." Edwin rubs his hands with excitement. He points to the right of the tree, "we put the bed on this side, and a small bathroom there." His finger dances left and right. "Maybe a kitchen there and – I know you like your vistas – a wrap around porch overlooking the entire forest during sunrise and sunset. I'll put a small bench up there so you can sip coffee on top of the world with me by your side."

Josslyn melts. "Tempting, but when I'm near sixty years old, how will I climb up to this love nest of yours? Press the elevator up to the 70th floor?"

"Nope, we go up there and we never come back down. You stay with me forever."

Josslyn smiles. "You're baiting me to live in the wilderness again, didn't work the first time, Edwin."

"And why not this time? There is always fog forming in this valley. I'll always be present; always be in physical form to hold you," he pulls her into an embrace. "And kiss you." He pecks her nose. "And this." He presses her hips against his pulsating rod.

She blushes, "stop it."

"Stop what?" He nibbles her neck.

"Making my knees weak."

He shakes his head, "No."

"Why No?"

"Because I love you."

She smiles, "then your knees must be weak too." 

"I can hardly stand."

He leans back onto the tree and trails his fingertips underneath her dress, hacking it up ever so slowly. After swallowing her mouth, he trails his lips to her neck then bites her earlobe hard. Josslyn winches, she likes it when Edwin makes it hurt, the pain reminds her of how real he is. She runs her fingers down the ridges of his stomach muscle and dips them underneath a jean pant that clings loosely onto wide hips and plump buttocks. Stroking her palm against his hardened shaft, she rolls her eyes back and releases a long moan. 

Edwin quickly grabs her, pinning her against the tree. He unzips his pants, breathing fast in anticipation of a feast.  

Then he immediately stops.

"What?" she asks, panting hard with desire.

"Quiet," he hushes her and whirls his head around, eyes darting left and right in search of something in the white mist. "There's something here."

Josslyn strains her vision then her eyes suddenly widen. She hears it, the low growling snort of a wild animal - a dangerous animal.

A large hazy black shadow slowly emerges under the Douglas-firs.

Five claws emerge out of the mist, each three inches long, chiseled so sharply they scorch muddy dirt and imprint gashes of unforgiving wound into the forest floor. Its large weighted paw depress the moist upper layer of soil, sinking deep into the earth, and twice the size of Josslyn's footprint that lay etched out beside it. The other paw emerges from the mist, then the long snout smothered in gleaming viscous mucus. Its jaw appears, popping, stained bloody canines clacking as it pants wildly, bellowing so forcefully, saliva spews in all direction. The shuffle of its walk is unmistakable. 

The mist dissipates like a lifting veil and there on all four walks a menacing adult black bear, its ears erect and raised hackle outline the curve of its 400 pound body. It shuffles closer, sways bolder, becomes more curious with each passing overstep, almost daring an attack as it boasts a beastly grin. Edwin knows this slow stalking behavior is no other than a predatory confrontation. It's fight or flight time.

"I need you to run."

"What? No, I'm not leaving you." Josslyn clings on to his arm. 

"Don't fucking argue with me."

She panics, "No!"

The bear roars and lunges forward. Edwin pushes Josslyn aside as the heavy mist drifts completely to the left. The bear glides right through his invisible body, quaking the ground on all fours. Edwin dashes into the mist, a burst of light flashes, instantly bonding him into physical form. The angry bear chases suit, trying to pummel, swipe and claw after him. The mist shifts again and  Edwin vanishes.  The bear stops abruptly in search of his soon to be rag doll. It sniffs at the air but doesn't smell anything. Edwin suddenly reappears as the mist drifts inward. The bear lunges at him only to have him vanish again. They go at this - beast and man - like a game of whack-a-mole. Just when the bear was about to tire out, it catches a glimpse of the weaker prey: Josslyn.

Josslyn! Edwin grits his teeth. Why the hell doesn't she ever listen?

Josslyn stands frozen, completely immobile. The bear advances, its long coarse fur gleams under the rays beaming through the canopy. The bear is twice as menacing in clarity. Its big round face harbor eyes too small for its size, the neck is so wide in girth it merges with the torso without a neck. Josslyn hyperventilates as the bear inches closer, ready to pounce, kill, and spill human blood.

She searches for Edwin but he has now vanished into thin air. It's now just her and the menacing bear. Stepping backward, Josslyn flushes against a tree as her chest rapidly rise and fall to match her racing heartbeat.

The bear lunges toward her, canines razor sharp like blades as it roars. Its shadow cast off the ground as she stands underneath its gigantic black mass. She crouches downward to brace for impact.

A glowing aura bursts open.

Bam!

Edwin launches his corporeal body into the Bear like a human sledgehammer; sending beast and man into a spiral.  Josslyn gasps, it is possible! Edwin has taken physical form without anything to bind him.

"Run!" He yells at her.

Josslyn tries to run but her feet feel chained to the forest floor. She gasps as the bear pins her husband to the ground. Edwin vanishes and reappears to avoid each swift swipe of its paw, a swipe strong enough to kill mature elks. One wrong move and he's dead.

Josslyn blinks back tears; I'm watching my husband die! A heart of steal begins to form. Her adrenaline kicks in, surges of anger pulse through her veins as her brain synapsis blaze in fight stance. She isn't afraid anymore, she's fucking angry.

"No!" She yells. "Leave my husband alone!" She grits her teeth, runs toward the bear and picks up a jagged three-pound rock. Leaning slightly back, she propels her arm like a baseball pitcher and nails the bear right in between the eyes. Take that!

The bear roars and lunges toward her. She dodges and rolls on the ground as it hurls itself at her. She jumps backward and feels the heavy canister bounce off her thigh. Oh my god! How could I have been so stupid? She reaches inside her satchel for the one thing she had completely forgotten all about. Yes! I did bring it!

The bear lowers its head, pushes itself upward toward the sky and stands 6 feet tall. It pops its jaw open and roars like the king of the forest as Josslyn nearly faints from its pungent breath that reeks of rotten meat and scaly flesh.

"Come on!" Josslyn yells at Death. It charges toward her and she charges toward it - human and beast to clash in the middle. She yanks the bear spray from her satchel, pops off the cap, and shift in the direction of the wind. Bracing her footing, she shoots a burst of atomized capsaicin at short range, rendering the black bear completely lost of sight. 

Invisible hands tug her wrist and she runs in the direction on Edwin's pull. They glance back and the bear is gone but they continue running until they are well outside the perimeter of the forest.

"I think our car's this way," Edwin pants as they reach an open meadow with no fog or mist to bind him.

Josslyn doesn't budge. He's concerned, "honey are you okay?"

She nods, "where are you?"

"To you're right."

"Are you okay?" She asks.

"Yeah, got scratches and bruises but I'll survive." In fact, he can't believe he's still breathing. Few people have taken on a black bear and lived to tell. He chuckles, "Josslyn, we're not in Minnesota anymore. C'mon, we'd better hurry out of here before that bear catches up."

"Edwin..." Josslyn appears lost in thought. "Have you learned to control it? How did you bond without fog or mist? You almost did it outside the restaurant last week and you did it just now. How did you do that?"

Edwin runs his hands through his hair. These answers are simply too elusive, "Honey, I Wish I knew."

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