Kaden had pulled back when Merlin released his hand, though not very far – fascination kept him close. Merlin's eyes shone the same way the sigils on the doorway shone, and Kaden was very confused about... why was he good? That kept him close, too. Kaden had, locked up tight in his memory, every instance anyone had ever called him good.
He was sure the majority of these memories came from the time he was a dog. A tumble of feelings more than they were solid memories, like a long dream when good hadn't been complicated. When good hadn't been in any doubt. Back in his human body though, good was in doubt all the time. There were times he thought that maybe he was, but to prove himself wrong all he had to do was remember Connie yelling at him in fear in her parents car, or how he'd screamed at Marcie about how she was a slut, or the fact that Tragos was dead and Lil T was back with his parents.
But Merlin has said good lad. And Hecate had said it. And Qebhet had said it. And he wanted to be. Really, he did. He was just afraid he had gone too far the other way for it to really ever be true, anymore.