February 1900
One winter night during a bout of melancholy, the misunderstood Silence “Tom” Apollyon tries to drown himself on a lonely stretch of beach in Norfolk. A stranger, Theodore Harper, drags him safely from the water—not that Tom wants to be saved. Theo, though, is a selkie, a being who has no trouble fishing him out of water.
Tom is reluctantly drawn into Theodore’s manipulative relationship with a wealthy merchant, David Wills, who values appearances above all — but David harbors a wicked secret. Not all is as it seems, and Theodore certainly isn’t what he seems, either. He’s terrified he’ll take a misstep, meeting a terrible end in a place far from home. When someone you used to trust has your skin, what’s a selkie to do?
Whether motivated by obligation, loyalty, or bewitchment, Tom seems to be the only one who can help Theo. As Tom and Theo are drawn into a deep but clandestine romance, is it possible for them to make a life together? With his intense possessive streak, David will do everything in his power to stop their happy ending. But together, Tom and Theo can call on their own reserves of resolve and magic to retrieve Theo’s skin and reclaim their chance at a life they’ll love.