Lenore relaxes more as she returns to the mayor's manor and the larger group of her soldiers. Things are still tense for another hour, as she relies upon Bronwyn's judgement as to which of the mayor's men deserve mercy and do not. She puts twenty of her soldiers under Bronwyn's command to help ease and enforce the transfer of power while Bronwyn is establishing her office and arranging for the town to run properly once more. Bronwyn balks at having that many vampire soldiers intimidating the small town, but Lenore insists. If nothing else, she'll need all the hands she can get to help rebuild the mill.

It's all politics and bureaucracy until an hour or so past sunrise, when Lenore finally staggers into the room that was prepared for her. She steps into Gideon's arms as soon as they're alone (or at least with only Greta politely busying herself with ignoring them), pressing her face back into Gideon's chest (which, with their height difference, is more or less right into Gideon's breasts) and hugging tight.