Chapter 5

India woke with a short gasp, choking on her spit. When the coughing fit that followed subsided, she pushed her blanket to her thighs. She was warm and flushed and very much in need of a cold drink. 

She was used to waking up from dreams. It had become a daily occurrence since she was fifteen but never had she woken from dreams of a man. Pale hair and blue eyes that seemed to have buried themselves deep in her soul. This was an unwelcome fascination. India was no use to any man, and the hope for that kind of future—one filled with love, a husband, and children had been destroyed years ago. 

Listening to the night, she heard nothing, just her breathing. She was too wired to go back to sleep, so she stood from her bed and strode into the bathroom. Splashing some water on her face, she raised her head to look at the mirror. There was nothing different about her. Over the years, she had hoped that