But Nereus merely blinked nonchalantly at the display of overprotectiveness. In his eyes, Zephyr's actions were simply nothing more than a child's attempt to intimidate him, and he simply ignored it in favor of more important things.
He pulled out a beautiful dark blue crystal.
"Take this."
Daphne blinked in surprise as the cool crystal touched her outstretched hands. She felt strangely drawn to it, as though it was a long-lost friend. She gently turned it over to better examine it, while Zephyr hovered over her protectively, his wings rustling in warning. He still didn't trust Nereus not to do something nefarious like hoodwink Daphne when she was distracted by whatever shiny stone he pulled out!
Check out the prequel: The Hidden King's Stolen Wife