Ilyien was closer, perhaps, than Sabev had realized. There was a reason for that.
Since before they arrived, he'd been keeping his distance from her mentally. This changed only by necessity on the islands, as he couldn't leave her separate from himself without any form of defense, and he couldn't teach her defense without reaching out to her mentally. But even then, he'd kept his private thoughts and every ghost of his feelings far separate.
He was still very angry with her friends -- angry to the point of considering, however briefly, the merits of eliminating the threat they may pose to Sabev, and then considering the many ways of eliminating the threat. They were unworthy thoughts, and they did not belong in the head of a follower of Tyr. But it had happened, all the same.
Other unworthy thoughts - or dreams, rather - had also visited him, and it was easier by far to deal with that incident by ignoring it completely. The truth was that every time he thought of it, he realized just how right it was that those who lose their lifemates do not typically seek to find another union. Ilyien knew what it was to be with his lifemate, and knew that, even in his own dream, he could not share that same sense of nearness with anyone else, no matter how much he wanted.
And if he did invite Sabev into his mind as deeply as he'd dreamed, she would never know the difference -- she'd never know that he was robbing her of an experience that should be far more than what he could give her. He was inadequate. To take Sabev in such a way would be a robbery of the innocent. He felt ashamed for even thinking about it.
It didn't calm the longing, that shame, but it helped.