Love can change a soul. But can it save one life? Colm Weathercliff is a simple fisherman with an uncanny-some might say preternatural-knack for his trade. He thought leaving his small village to take his father's ashes to the capital city of Caithmor for a proper burial would be the grandest adventure of his life. At first, all his hopes seem to be fulfilled. He finds a home where he's accepted without question, the freedom to use his talent to its fullest effect, and love with Nichol, a man with a longing for the sea as powerful as Colm's. But Caithmor holds as many dangers as it does attractions. Colm's greatest secret turns out to be a dark revelation that gets him and his family shunned-and changes everything he thought he knew about himself. The truth-about his parentage, his gift, even his physical form-could poison his chance for love. And doom both him and Nichol to a gruesome, inescapable fate. Warning: Contains graphic violence, explicit sex, and scenes of torture that may not be for the faint of heart. These mermen bear no resemblance to those you might have seen in a certain animated film.