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Kate

"The Volturi will come for all of us!"―Kate on the Volturi

Katrina, commonly known as Kate, is a vegetarian vampire and one of the "original" Denali sisters, along with Tanya and Irina. She has a strong relationship with her coven mates, as well as with the Olympic coven, who the Denalis consider their extended family or "cousins". Kate is strong-minded and has the talent of creating a mental electric current on her skin which shocks anyone who comes into contact with her.

She and Garrett become mates in Book 3 of Breaking Dawn, just before the confrontation with the Volturi. He is willing to sacrifice his more "traditional" vampire lifestyle and become a vegetarian.

Early life

Kate was an attendant - basically a bodyguard - to a highborn female of a warlike Slavic tribe. She was well trained in her tribe's martial arts, and was very protective of her mistress. Kate was guarding her on a caravan when Sasha attacked, along with her daughter Tanya. Sasha was so impressed by Kate's courage and determination to defend the caravan and the physical resemblance she had to Tanya that she changed her into a vampire.

Kate quickly became loyal to Sasha and Tanya. Her defensive power began to develop within a decade. Later, Sasha invited Irina into the family, and they all saw Sasha as their mother. They were left orphans when it was discovered that Sasha had created an immortal child named Vasilii. Fortunately, Kate and her sisters knew nothing about the boy until they watched him burn in their loving mother's arms. Aro thus spared their lives, and since then they have been purists for the law. Kate's respect for the Volturi's authority kept her from questioning their motives, and she was grateful when they spared her and her sisters, though they were scarred for eternity by the loss of their mother.

Kate and her sisters sought out the company of different men, human or vampire, to distract their minds from the pain of their lost mother. The human relationships never lasted long, since they always fed on the men after sexual intercourse, but the losses of some of the men they grew fond of made the girls remorseful of their actions. When Tanya told her sisters that drinking animal blood could replace their nutritional needs without decreasing their control around humans, Kate was eager to try the method. They moved to Denali to adapt to their vegetarian diet and by the time Eleazar and Carmen joined them, they had all grown adept at the diet, and at enjoying human intimacy without causing injuries. When they met the Cullen family, another coven of vegetarian vampires, they bonded through this matter and considered each other extended family.

In 2005, they were joined by a nomadic vampire named Laurent after he left James' coven before getting killed by the Quileute werewolves in New Moon.

"Now he tells me."―Kate on Garrett, after he tells her he'll follow her anywhere if they survive the battle.

Kate, along with the rest of the Denali Coven (except Irina, who still harbors a grudge against the Quileute shape-shifters for killing her mate Laurent) attend Bella and Edward's wedding as a way of making peace with the Cullens for abandoning them during their time of crisis.

Along with Tanya, Carmen and Eleazar, she was called upon as a witness by the Cullens, and she grows attached to Renesmee after finding out that she wasn't an immortal child. Kate, aided by Zafrina, helps teach Bella to extend her shielding range in the hope of including as many people as possible during the final confrontation with the Volturi. She agrees to help Bella on condition that she wouldn't break her radius, due to Bella's phenomenal strength. During their practice sessions, Kate shocks Edward with powerful mental electrical jolts that she can generate all over her skin over and over again as a way to motivate Bella. This does not motivate her enough though, so Kate uses Renesmee instead, and Bella succeeds in extending her shield, although she almost loses her temper and attacks Kate for attempting to harm her daughter.

During the build up to the fight, Kate develops an attachment to a nomad named Garrett. She is present during the confrontation, ready and willing to fight if it came down to it. She is forced to watch her sister Irina be burned to death by the Volturi as punishment for her false report about the Cullens, and attempts to attack them with Tanya. However, the combined effort of Carlisle, Edward, Garrett, Bella and Zafrina manage to stop them. Kate is known to dislike Jane of the Volturi, and claims Jane as her opponent, saying she would like to give her a taste of her own medicine. Garrett promises her that he will follow her anywhere if they survive the confrontation.

After the Volturi left them in peace, she and her family leave to grieve for her lost sister, though she has also gained Garrett as her mate.

Physical appearance

Kate has the golden eyes of a vegetarian vampire. She also has hair that is described as "long, pale blond, straight as corn silk," and is 5'6" ft tall and graceful.

Personality

Due to her mother's passing for creating an immortal child, Kate, along with her sisters, are "purists" when it comes to vampire laws, and before Breaking Dawn had a healthy respect for the Volturi. Kate is passionate and determined, and she would rather fight to the death on the side of those she loves than sit on the side-lines, guaranteeing self-preservation.

She and her sisters enjoy the pleasurable company of men, both human and vampire, and felt guilty when she killed some of them. However, after falling in love with Garrett, an adventurous vampire, she begins to attempt monogamy for the first time.

Internally, Kate can be described as laid-back. She is not as serious as her sister Tanya, rolls her eyes often, and does not fear danger (except for immortal children) or even death. For example, after being told that fighting the Volturi would be a suicide mission, Kate grins, shrugs nonchalantly and says, "I'm in." She is also very loyal, especially to those she considers family such as the Cullens, and has a conscience.

After helping Bella harness her own talent, Kate remains at the Cullens' side during the Volturi confrontation. She gracefully braces herself for death to come when all hope seems lost. At the end, she returns to Denali with her coven and her new mate, Garrett.

Powers and abilities

In The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide, Kate is noted to have once been a well-trained bodyguard. Though she does not demonstrate any combat skills in the series, it is implied that she is not to be underestimated.

Mental electrical current Main article:

Mental electrical current

"Heaven knows, I've been working on it for centuries and the best I can do is run a current through my skin."―Kate on her gift

Kate can generate an electrical current in her body. Upon physical contact, and depending on the power behind it, a target may just feel a static shock or be stunned as if touched by a cattle prod at full charge. Because it doesn't affect Bella, the current most likely is a mental illusion similar to Jane's gift.

Kate explained that when she first began practicing with her power, she could only project it on her palms, but, as she practiced over the centuries, she learned to run the current over her entire body, which comes in handy in self-defense.

With her knowledge in the use her special ability, she helped Bella with her shield projecting by giving Edward shock after shock while Bella tries to shield him, and saying "That wasn't low either," when Bella successfully shields him.

Kate's talent was considered special enough that Aro offered her a place among his guard, even though Stefan and Vladimir thought it would not be necessary because of Jane, who can create an illusion of burning pain from a distance.