Witch Hill

Marion Zimmer Bradley, who died in 1999 and is best known for her Darkover novels, wrote this older standalone-feeling tale of witchcraft, possession and love. It is part of her Light series. Sara Latimer arrives at Witch Hill, the old family house she has just inherited, grieving and with no living relatives left. Her neighbors keep their distance, and the one person who speaks to her, Matthew Hay, has an unsettling explanation: Sara's aunt was a powerful and wicked witch, and the townsfolk suspect Sara is walking the same path.

Matthew and his lover Tabitha, both witches, insist that Sara has inherited her aunt's power and that the aunt's spirit is waiting to take hold of her. Under their constant pressure, Sara begins to falter. Her romance with Brian Standish gives her some stability for a while, but the story moves into a dangerous world of dark magic and sexual ritual. Colin MacLaren, a Champion of Light, is determined to stop Matthew from destroying her, even if the fight costs him his own soul.